Unwavering Fate
by August Shaffer
Summary: 'R"-B/J/E/N: This is my version of Breaking Dawn, after the birth of Nessie. I believe Bella/Jake did imprint. I believe these two were always fated to be together. So here is my story that ends happy for us Wolfgirls!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: No copyright intended, nor profits are made from this story.

Rating: Mature/R

Betas: Jessipooks and Mist

A/N: Please keep in mind girls that yes, Nessie/Jake have imprinted but you will learn that Jake has also imprinted on Bella. This is a strictly happy ever after for our Bella/Jake but it takes a little time. Hope you give it a chance despite your dislike for Nessie/Jake scenes. This as I have said is my theory of how it could have gone down. I can't get it out of my mind how J/B when they kissed saw a possible future for themselves. Keep that in mind when you read this. Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews and support through out all of my stories! I love this site and I love you ladies! Xoxox

Unwavering Fate

Prologue:

I always knew that someday my life would change in an irrevocable way but I never imagined it would start out like this. I listened to Bella's screams. The high pitch and bone chilling pain sent my pulse racing. I placed my hand on my heart, it felt like it was burning through my chest, the ache so strong I thought it would pierce the skin right through. I knew my wolf ached, his growl permeating through my chest, his will to break free so strong, I knew any minute I would burst into all fours**. **It was the most surreal moment of my life as I listen to my true love sacrificing her own life so that his demonic baby could be born.

I wanted it to die. I wanted Edward to die. I could only see the Crimson red color in his eyes as he swore under his breath. The sort of word that someone who acts as proper as Edward would normally never have said, at least not out loud.

Then a new sound was heard through out the entire house. A sound that should have given us all great joy but for me it was the sound that warned me that my precious, sweet and innocent Bella was lost to me forever. I listen closely. I prayed that I might hear two heart beats but I only heard one.

Racing back to the room I threw the door back hard as I raced to Bella's side. Her body was a wreck. Carlisle had done his best to keep the cut as even as possible but I could see a few jagged sections. I felt the warm wetness of tears flowing out of my eyes as I pick up her cool limp hand. Holding onto it I knelt down beside her, praying and begging for her to open her eyes. I had to see my Bella's eyes. If just for one more second that was all I was asking for but God wasn't listening to me or he didn't feel like my prayers were worth listening to because she never did open her eyes.

"Bells…oh goddd..**N**OOOOO!" I growled as a sob rip through my lungs came rushing out of my mouth. I was devastated. I was half dead now.

Memories of all the times I had fought so hard to keep her alive flash through my mind. This was the biggest pile of bullshit I had ever seen. I thought of all the times I had managed to keep her alive just to have her die this way. Her death was meaningless.

I heard the sound of crying from the corner of the room. Turning my head with tears blurring my vision I glancedat the bundle that Carlisle held in his arms while Edward stood at the end of the bed, like me, we looked upon the face of the woman we had both loved. His eyes glowed with tears, while his lips pursed together and then parted but all that was heard was his exhaling breath**.**.

"Are you happy now? You killed her. I told you, over and over again it would be YOU who would kill her." My body tensed as I fought back the urge to jump across the bed and rip his neck out .

I knew if Bella was alive she would beg me not to harm him. Even now after her death I could hear her sweet voice pleading with me not to harm the one man she deem good enough to marry and die for.

Women! They never seem to know what was good for them. They just wanted the things they felt were harder to come by. They couldn't appreciate something when it was easy and perfect. That was how my father tried to explain to me when I got the news that Bella would go through with the wedding.

I would never know why she ultimately chose him over me . I would never get the answers that I had been so close to obtaining. Now I would have to live with what little bit of love she had showed me in return. Being forced to move forward with my life as if she had never been a big part of it. She had been the center of my universe since the day we were reunited at her father's house. As children we were close but as teenagers I hoped we would finally find ourselves on a new path. A path that would lead us from the friendship status to lovers and eventually someday husband and wife.

I always had a feeling that Bella and I would someday reunite. We would manage to get past all the obstacles that were steadily thrown our way. Yet now I knelt down next to her dead body knowing the romantic notion was lost to me forever. There would never be any happy reunion for us.

Gone.

Lost.

"Jake, we need to talk." Edward's voice cracks as he looks directly at me.

I bite on the tip of my tongue. I don't want to talk. I don't want to hear anything he has to say because I knew it would be all lies. How many times had I warned Bella that the Cullen's only told her what they wanted her to know and never the entire truth? A dozen? A million?

"Edward. Jake. You both need to calm down. There is not need to over react." Carlisle says in his usual fatherly tone.

"Over react!" I shout at him as my rage grows like a forest fire inside of me.

"She is dead for Christ's sake! When would you suggest is a good time to over react to that?" I squeeze her limp hand as I continue to glare furiously between Carlisle and Edward.

"She is ….not dead….not entirely." Carlisle looks down at the bundle that is cooing and wiggling in his arms.

"What?" Edward and I both cry in unison as we both give him a puzzled look.

"I gave her a shot. Remember Edward. It was suppose to help ease the pain for her but it also did something else." Carlisle seemed to be considering very cautiously what he was about to reveal to us. His voice was steady but the words were spoken slowly.

"What did you give her?" Edward look**s** nervously at me then at Carlisle.

"The shot makes her appear to be dead. It was part of our plan. Mine and Bella's." Carlisle reveals.

I kiss the back of Bella's hand hoping like hell that she had somehow come up with one of her half cock plans that might actually work this time.

"So she isn't really dead?" I ask as I hold my breathe waiting for his answer.

"No. She is more like in a coma. She will be in this state for several days. which gives usample time to stage her death and move away**.**" Carlisle answers with a weak smile.

"What! You are going to leave her in the ground?" I wasn't sure if I liked this plan after all.

"No. We will get her out on the night we leave. She should wake up shortly after that. I'm not sure when exactly. It was the first time I had ever used this particular drug. I warned her that it was a big risk but she knew that her baby wouldn't be normal nor would you both have a reasonable explanation to tell others about it's quick delivery." Carlisle continues his explanation.

"So what**...**you're just planning on taking her and leaving town? Leaving everyone here to believe she is dead. Did you change her? Is she a ….vampire?" I gulp hard imaging Bella leaving her grave as lifeless as she was when they put her in it. If they had changed her like I feared then that would mean she was dead to me. Forever my mortal enemy.

It would mean that I lost the friend who worked for hour on our silly motorcycles, the girl who always blushed each time I touch her and the friend who had some amazing skills in the kitchen. I would never see her reading those sappy romance books that I warned her put crazy notions in her head. She would smack me with the book and warn me that someday I would fall in love and understand.

"She is not a vampire. Not yet. She wanted that change to be done after she knew whether or not her child would be more human or more vampire. I'm sorry Edward. I didn't tell you before but she made me promise. I know you're her husband but I felt that this decision should be hers alone." Carlisle looks sadly into the face of the child he held protectively in his arms.

"So technically she is dead." Edward said with a stunned face.

"She is as close to death as one can get with out being truly dead." Carlisle nods his head.

"This is fuck up! I have never heard anything so stupid in all my life. I can't hear her heart beating. That's as dead as you can get." I shouted as I bolted up both hands curling into fists pressed against my sides.

"I swear to you Jake we, Bella and I, never intended to change her until we were far away from here. She didn't want to break our treaty agreement. She knew it would be a slap in your face and that of your tribes." Carlisle swears as the baby lets out an alarmingly loud cry.

"What is it? What ….is it?" I ask as it suddenly occurs to me that the child she bore, the very thing that took our love away, was clearly alive.

"It's a girl." Carlisle says proudly as he locks eyes with Edward.

"A girl." I whisper trying not to think about what she will look like someday. If she will have her mother's beauty or her father's evil habit of lusting for blood.

"From all appearances it seems to be human." Carlisle knows it's the other question on my mind.

"Here hold her." Carlisle extends his arms to Edward but like me, he seems to be debating on rather it was worth the pain and near death of Bella.

"She needs you." Carlisle urges Edward to hold his own child.

It was hard for me to watch as Edwardheld out his arms to hold his and Bella's daughter for the first time. That should have been my honor. My child. I thought back to the kiss that I had shared with Bella up on the mountains minutes before our big battle. In that kiss I saw our possible future. Two children running across the beach. I felt so much love and pride as I watched them play. It was of course a brief vision but it had been strong enough to validate what I always knew. That was how our happy ending was supposed to have happened. Instead, I stood in a room where Bella's blood still saturated the sheets witnessing the bonding between Edward and his child.

I wanted to scream how unfair it was but knew my words would fall on deaf ears.

Edward's brows crease tightly together as the baby seem to be talking to him. I watch as his expression quickly changed from fear, to shock and ended with pure joy.

"I…I …got to…" I was starting to feel the walls shrinking around me. I had to leave. As much as I wanted to stay by Bella's side for what little time I had left with her, the way Edward and his child seem to be interacting was not only uncomfortable for me but it was also down right freaky as hell.

"Jake, don't go yet." Edward's head whips around his eyes large with disbelief.

"Why not?" I just wanted to leave. I couldn't stand the sight of him a second longer.

"Look at her. Come here." Edward's voice is steady as his smile.

"What?" I was sure he had done lost his mind.

"Jake she wants you to see her." Edward says with a strong conviction.

I felt the air freeze in my lungs as I replay the words he just spoke to me.

"SHE wants me to see her?" Now I knew that he had done lost his bloody mind.

"Yes, come closer." Edward continues to urge me to look at the face of the thing that has stolen my happiness. I wasn't sure if I could control myself around it. On one hand I knew it was just an innocent child whom had not intended to kill it's birth. On the other hand it was not a normal child either. It was a foul creature that was stealing the life of the woman I loved.

I took a long-drawn-out breathe before stepping over to his side. It took me a moment to pull myself together to look at the child that could have been mine and Bella's had she not chosen Edward.

Her eyes sparkled. Her cheeks were pink like her mother's. Her skin was pale as snow. The hair upon her head was like golden wheat. Delicate little curls fell around her ears. It was as if you were looking at a tiny cherub rather than a demonic being.

Then a jolt of lighting hit me straight through my heart. I braced myself as a strong magical current of air flew between Edward's arms and my body. A sudden warm tingling sensation course up and down my spine.

What was happening? Did this child have some sort of magic powers? Was she trying to dazzle me?

"What…is…happening?" I finally manage to say the words that were slamming around in my head.

"She says that you belong to her." Edward says with an unpleasant voice.

"What? Have you lost your mind? That is not my baby." I throw my hands up in the air, taking two large steps away from her and Edward.

"Of course not dummy! She is telling me that the connection has been made. You are now hers and hers alone." Edward looks over at Carlisle who was wearing a bewildered look that matched my own.

"Is she your imprint, Jake?" Carlisle looks torn between joy and fear.

"I…NO….no….hell no!" I shake my head in disagreement but I know in the pit of my stomach that the possibility is there since the feelings are only growing stronger as I stand there.

"If it's true then Jake has to go with us." Carlisle announces anxiously.

"HELL NO! There is no fucking way I will go anywhere with you people. I'm sorry Carlisle but I have a pack that I belong to. A family. A tribe. I ….no." I shake my head harder but my heart only skips more erratically as a sudden sensation of sadness sweeps through my body like a punch in the gut.

"She is scared. She says she has to be close to you. She is also very hungry." Edward chuckles bitterly.

"What do you mean she "says". The child is not even moving her lips." I demand wondering if this is some sort of sordid joke of Edwards?

"I can read her thoughts. She seems to be more mature mentally than physical.

Obviously." He adds as I stare at him with utter fear.

"Edward your losing your mind. I know it must have been hard to watch Bella die even if it's not real after all but dude reading a baby's mind is up there with coo-coo." I walk past him briskly, my hand wrapping around the door knob when his next set of words changed my life. In fact it sealed my fate. I was going to have **to** give up everything I loved and needed in my life in order to be with her.

"She says your heart and hers are connected. You will feel everything she does. She will grow up quickly and the two of you have a chance for happiness. Don't you want happiness again?" Edward repeats her thoughts to me. I felt my legs grow weak, my heart banging unmercifully against my chest and I knew what she was trying to tell me despite how much I didn't want it to be true.

"My happiness died today." I whisper so low I'm sure not even a vampire could hear it.

"She says that they will both need you. You will always hold their heart. You're her Jake now. Don't go Jake." Edward pleads as the baby lets out a heart throbbing howl.

"Edward I belong to a pack. I can't just leave them." I hope it sounds as reasonable as it did it in my head.

"You left them before. We can just tell them that you are making sure that Bella recovers and isn't a vampire." Carlisle suggests from his quiet corner.

"But they have to believe she is dead too." I remind them.

"True." Carlisle sighs heavily.

"You can tell them you want to monitor the baby then. They are the only ones who know of it's existence." Carlisle snaps his fingers as the idea occurs to him.

"Good idea." Edward cries out with a relieved smile.

"I will try but I can't make any promises." I offer as I turn back and finally walk out of the room.

Running down the stairs and out the front door, I sucked in the clean fresh air into my lungs as tears spill out of my eyes. Feeling the softness of the ground beneath my feet I will the change as I shift into the wolf where I am able to tell the others that Bella is dead. I hear the howls of sadness across the woods as the message is received by each member of our small elite pack.

Now five years later, I stand outside of a massive size house surrounded by woods and a well secure gated fence with my own private area. I stare up at the sky and wonder if Bella Swan Cullen will ever wake up again. Four days from now we will celebrate Nessie's fifth year, although her body has grown into that of a seventeen year old girl. Her physical abilities still amaze and frightens us as she grows at a supernatural speed. We all hope that she will eventually stop. If not then in a few years she would far pass the rest of us and look like a middle age woman rather than the young girl she truly is.

If Bella was awake and among us would she be as happy about her daughter as the rest of us were? Would she have remained a human despite the fact that although Nessie looked human and acted human she needed blood from time to time to keep her strength. It was the only thing that still bothered me about her. I knew that as my imprint I wasn't suppose**d** to be bothered by it but I honestly I was. How was I suppose to love and start a life with something that would someday ask me for a drop of my blood in order to keep her strength and pink colored cheeks?

Sometimes it was nights like this that I wondered if having a imprint was as important as my other pack members had deemed it to be? After all, I cared deeply for Nessie and would gladly do my best to protect her but I wasn't able to stay away from Bella's side for too long. Unlike the others who had grown accustom to her being taken care of in a private facility fifty miles away, I wasn't. I felt like I was the only one who hoped that she would wake up after all these years. I knew Edward would argue with me if he heard my thoughts when it came to that conclusion. I had noticed how happy Edward had become since Alexandra became a permanent resident.

Alexandra was a vampire that Jasper apparently changed in Louisiana many years before he made his way to Alice. She was lovely to the eyes. Like the others, she looked like she came straight out of a modeling agency. It wasn't lost on me how Edward and Nessie both seemed to be drawn to her. Nessie knew I didn't necessarily like her and I never let my guard down around her. She had made the change from human blood to animal blood a year after we first moved away from Forks when we came across her. She seemed to be willing to give up everything she had ever known to be apart of the Cullen's family.

I would like to believe like the others that it was possible for someone to just have the desire to be better but I knew that like me, we all had ourdemons. Our very essences had a life of it's own and when I can't stand it, I have to run free. I have to let the wolf out. I missed the hunting but I know if I kill any vampires I might leave a trail that would stir up unnecessary attention from the Volturi. Nessie was stilla mystery to them and as far as they knew, Bella died that day we allowed everyone else in Forks to believe she died in a horrible car wreck on her way back from her honeymoon. It was so hard to believe just how much had changed in the past five years since Bella closed her eyes and fell into a false death. The question remained, was it a pretend death or would my Bella one day open her eyes and start living the life she was always meant too.


	2. Planning A Surprise

Disclaimer: I do not own nor profit from this story.  
>Rating: M-more later on in the story<br>Beta: Jessipooks/Mist  
>AN: Please keep in mind that there will be some J/N scenes but keep in mind that by the end of the story it will totally be a J/B happy ending. Also, wanted to say THANK YOU to those of you who joined already and gave me such wonderful and inspiring reviews! Your reviews spark my muse! Love ya bunches! Xoxox

Chapter One: Planning A Surprise Can Be Such A Headache

"Nessie has no idea what we have planned for her birthday! I'm sure of it this time." Alice rubs her hands together with a excited sigh.

"How do you know?" Jake asks with a doubtful smile.

"I looked ahead and was able to see her surprised face!" Alice explains as she finishes wrapping up her last gift. She had been out every day for the past week buying little gifts here and there for Nessie's birthday.

"Your visions are not always one hundred percent positive. Remember when you saw me winning big in Vegas. I came home with a few dollars in my pocket." Jake moans remembering how he had wanted to choke her. His energy would have been wasted since vampires didn't need oxygen to live.

"Actually you did win big. You brought Nessie home that enormous teddy bear and she was happier than a kite for three months about that bear. Remember she had to have it with her every night." Alice's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"That's not the same thing." Jake huffed as he walked past her to search the fridge for something decent to eat. Since it was just him and Nessie who ate real food the Cullen's didn't keep too much in stock. He was usually in charge of grocery shopping when they ran low. Now that Nessie was able to drive he would often let her do the shopping. He knew how much she enjoyed any excuse she could find to drive. It was strange at times to remember that she was barely a baby a few years ago and now "poof" she was nearly a grown adult.

"I thought it was. After all you always do your best at keeping her happy." Alice winked at him as she sauntered out of the room on the tips of her toes. Jake wouldn't have been surprised to learn that Alice had been a ballerina or some other type of dancer before she was changed. The girl always seem to glide gracefully around the house.

It was true he did keep Nessie happy. It was easy for the first four years. She was so child like. Now, since the hormones had kicked in it was not as easy. Nope, she now had the constant mood changes that came with teenage years. He was surprised when she gave him the silent treatment for a whole good twenty-four hours before he managed to get her to reveal why she was so upset. She had explained that it sucked that she never got to experience the things other teenagers did.

He ask what it was that she thought she was missing exactly? He learned she wanted to go to the movies, to a football game or out for pizza. She wanted to know what it was like to go on a date. Jake hadn't been quite sure how to handle that request. Edward had been pretty adamant about not wanting her to grow up too fast despite the fact that she physically was.

She begin questioning where their relationship was heading. Jake was too stunned to respond right away which caused her to storm off in tears. When he finally manage to catch up with her, he tried his best to explain that he wasn't sure what it was she wanted. She didn't express what she wanted with words but instead kissed him on the lips.

Jake couldn't lie and say that it didn't stir something in him, because it did. However, the image that popped into his head was the last thing any girl ,especially Nessie, would want to know about. He saw Bella. The image of her made his stomach turn and his mind fill with endless questions of which he had no answers.

When he opened his eyes to look into Nessie's he saw desire. Nessie had kissed him a bunch of times on the lips and cheeks but never quite like this before. Yeah, he was pretty sure this was her way of testing the bond that she felt between them. She was hoping for an answer to her question when she stared deep into his eyes but Jake held onto it. He just looked back at her with a bored expression. He couldn't afford to let anything happen between them that might link them together forever.

After running all the available people to speak to and finding not one he felt confident in, he resorted to speaking with Rosalie. She had taken on the burden of giving Nessie womanly advice when the physical changes started. Alice didn't mind handling it but Nessie seemed more comfortable talking to Rose about it. Rosalie was very feminine and often flaunted her body.

Esme was good with her but she had been gone often with Carlisle on research trips. Carlisle was still hoping to find to wake up Bella. He had been eaten up with guilt ever since it became clear to us that Bella was not waking up anytime soon.

Rose had agreed that it was too soon for us to make love. Although physically she was becoming a woman and she was as strong as ox(,) there were times when it was clear she was immature. They agreed that Jake would just have to find other ways to appease her until she was better prepared for such an intimate encounter between a man and woman.

"Where is Edward?" Alexandra strolled into the kitchen while Jake sipped on his orange juice staring out of the large bay window lost in his thoughts.

"Uh?" Jake turned away from the beautiful view and look at Alexandra as she repeated her question.

"Where is Edward?" Alexandra frowned at him as she glanced at his glass.

"Not sure." Jake replies as he looks at the vampire who he was pretty sure was falling in love with Edward. He knew that the others were thinking it but none of them seem to want to announce their concerns. It was like top secret around here. It irked him that they seemed okay with how quickly she was filling the role of Bella. It just went to show you how damn fickle they were in his book. He prayed that when Bella did wake up she put Alexandra in her place, which hopefully was far away from them.

"Oh. Is Nessie with him?" Alexandra asked.

"Nope. She went with Esme and Carlisle to pick out her birthday dress. They are buying it this year." He answers her. He rinses out the glass and sits it in the dishwasher thinking that she would be gone when he turn around. She hadn't left. She was still staring at him with a deep crease in her forehead like she was trying to read his thoughts or something.

"Did you need something else?" Jake licks his lips looking at her with an unwavering smile.

"You don't like me much, do you?" She asks as she runs her hands through her long blonde hair.

"I can't say that I don't like you. I hardly know you." Jake snorts.

"You know as much as the others do but you still don't trust me." Her eyes flashed with disappointment when Jake didn't respond as quickly as she had hoped.

"I don't know how I feel about you." Jake was not going to lie to her. He knew she could pick up on lies. It was one of her super vampire powers.

"Really. So when I come in a room you don't make up excuses to leave right away?" She continues to keep a steady hold of his eyes as she questioned him.

Jake felt the wolf in him twitch. He didn't like the way she was pushing him in a corner. They had rules in this house. One rule that he found easy enough to deal with was you never get in another person's business unless they want you to. This vampire was always trying to find out what was going on in everyone's life. He didn't like noisy people.

"Sometimes." Jake replies honestly.

Her eyes widen as she looks intrigued by his honesty.

"Why?" She asks with a smirk.

"Honestly, I do not like the way you and Edward seem so cozy. He has a wife." Jake knew that Alexandra didn't' want to hear this fact. Anytime Bella's name was mentioned she would pretend to be interested then she would somehow change the topic. Yeah, she was definitely trying to take Bella's place in this family.

"I know he has a wife. He knows he has a wife. A wife I might add that has been dead for five years." Alexandra whipped a long lock of hair off of her shoulders as she glared bravely at Jake.

"She's not DEAD. She's in a coma." Jake reminds her of the difference.

"She might as well be. She hasn't been involved in this family for a long time." Alexandra points out the obvious.

"She will be someday." Jake says with conviction. Unlike the others he still felt positive she would wake up one day. He didn't care if it was ten more years from now, eventually she would. His gut always told him so when he began to have doubts of his own.

"I can't wait. After all, I'm a part of this family too." Alexandra presses her lips together tightly as she pulls out her phone from her back pocket.

"Hello." She says with a sweet tone.

"I was just wondering where you were. Oh. Good. Me too." Alexandra puts the phone back in her pocket then strolls out of the room with out telling Jake a thing about who had called her or what it was about.

Rolling his eyes he slips out of the kitchen heading for his personal area on the west wing of the house. He just wanted to try and take a nap before Nessie returned. She would rattle on and on about all the dresses she tried on and tell in great detail about how each one of them was just so perfect for her. He laughs quietly as he is reminded of how opposite she was from her mother. Bella hated shopping. She also hated for people to buy her fancy gifts. Nessie enjoyed both. Shopping should have been her middle name instead of Carlie.

When she discovered the secrets of internet shopping they had deliveries arriving day and night from all other the world. Edward had been elected to be the one to take the credit cards from her. She had wept in his arms the entire night about how unfair it was that everyone else got to shop for whatever their heart desired. Jake did his best to explain to her about what it meant to be greedy and frivolous. She had a hard time with that concept. It was then that they began to see how immature she truly was despite her rapid growth rate.

Jake had to hand it to her though, she had bought plenty of gifts for everyone in the house and not just herself. It had shown that she was capable of having some degree of compassion.

"Jake." The voice boom out of the speakers that were located through out the house. The house was so large that at times it was necessary to use the expensive technical devices to locate everyone, especially if there was emergency.

Jake found the nearest box that let him answer back.

"Yes." He inhaled deeply. It was Rosalie. She normally made it a point not to reach out to him unless it was extremely important. They got along for the most part but she never tired of making him feel out of place in this family. She knew it still freaked him out that his imprint was part vampire and part human. She had become nicer since Nessie grew up and made a point of warning her favorite Aunt that if she treated Jake cruelly that she would have nothing to do with her . Rose had doted on Nessie since the first day she held her in her arms. So Rose was quick to make amends with Jake. She wasn't always the nicest person toward him but she was not her usual outrageous rude self either.

"I need to speak to you. Where are you?" She asks.

"I'm headed to my room." He answers casually.

"Can you meet me in the den?" She asks.

"No. Meet me in my room." Jake was not about to turn around and go to the other side of the house when it would only take her a half a second to flash over to his side of the house.

"Fine." She snaps.

Jake sighs heavily as he continues his walk to his room. Turning the knob he feels the relief of cool air as it hits his overly heated body. Since he had begun staying with the Cullen's they had all voted that he had to keep his clothes on, especially around Nessie. He was happy to oblige them but on days that were as hot as today he had a hard time with the barriers of clothing.

"Why do you have to be so difficult?" Rose asks as she steps inside his room behind him.

"I'm not being difficult. I was already here." Jake replies with out looking at her as he walks across the room to sit in the recliner that was one of Nessie's gifts.

"Whatever! Okay so Alice told you that we are having a campout for Nessie's birthday, right?" She stares eagerly at Jake.

"Yes." Jake replies crossing his arms over his chest.

"I think it would be easier if we all sleep in separate tents. I mean I don't know about you but I don't want to share a oversize tent with people who don't necessarily sleep. I hate having to turn off my light so you can sleep." Rose says followed by a cocky grin.

"What's the point of spending the night in a tent if you don't sleep in it?" Jake shakes his head with an annoyed look.

"I get that as a human you must sleep so that is why I think separate tents would be better." Rose claps her hands as if she just come up with a brilliant idea.

"I don't care where I sleep." Jake shrugs his shoulders not sure why she's is even giving him the courtesy of asking. It wasn't her style to be concerned about his wealth fare.

"Good because Edward wasn't too keen on it." Rose explains.

Jake was starting to put the pieces together.

"Why was Edward upset about sleeping in his own tent?" Jake had a bad feeling he knew where this conversation was leading but he had to hear it from her to believe it.

"I thought that each of the couples could share a tent and you and Nessie could share one." She answers with a twisted smile.

"Uh?" Jake's hairs on the back of his neck bolted up like he had been hit with static electricity.

"It's not like you and Nessie haven't slept together before." Rose snorts rudely.

"Excuse me! You know damn well we haven't." Jake cries out as he sits upright in the chair.

"NOT like that. Damn get your panties out your ass. I was just saying that there were many times that Nessie would crawl into your bed when she had nightmares or fell asleep while you two were reading books together." Rose laughs.

Jake knew she was playing with his heart. She and she alone knew about the new feelings that Nessie was growing for him. She also knew that it was growing harder on him to stop Nessie from doing something that might push them both over the edge. Edward would kill him if he learned he had stolen his daughter's innocence. He might not like the guy but he had enough respect for him when it came to being the girl's father.

Then there was the little fact that she was also Bella's daughter. There were moments when he forgot about the other half of her DNA. It was in those moments that it was easy to fall in love with Nessie but when reality kicked back in, he was always reminded that she was also Bella's daughter.

How many times in the past did he find himself stroking his cock thinking of Bella? Lots. Now here he was finding himself lusting over her only child. It was rather sick in his mind. He knew the others had to find it a littler perverse as well.

"Fine. Whatever Rose." Jake knew better than to argue.

"Good. So you will help me convince him that it's stupid to think that something could happen between you and Nessie, right?" Rose replies.

"Sure." Jake felt a knot suddenly growing in the pit of his stomach at the mention of Edward's concern about him and Nessie's close proximities. Maybe he was overreacting and this was more about the past. He shivered as the memory of the time he and Edward had the spent night together in a tent with Bella slipped into his mind.

Rose flew out of his room with out another word. He cringed as the memories of the night he held Bella in his arms, providing her with the warmth she had needed in order to survive. That was the night he had debated with Edward on the topic of how he was better for Bella. Obviously he had been right and wrong. After all he had been the one to say he could provide Bella with children and Edward had said he could keep her safe.

Now here he was planning on staying the night in a tent with their love child while Edward stayed in a separate tent.

Life could be so damn cruel and ironic. He wished he could laugh about this but in his heart he knew that all of this was going to turn out badly.

* * *

><p>Carlisle injected the medicine in Bella's IV watching her heart rate and the other machines that were attached to her immobile body. He had been working on this cure for years now. The drug he injected Bella with the night she was dying was supposed to only keep her in a dead state for merely three to five days. He had found the powerful concoction while researching white magic . He was always intrigued with the magical world.<p>

He researched thoroughly and spoke to several people who had administered the drug before. Nine out of ten people who had used the sleeping dead drug had woken up. Only one had remained in a deep comma for the rest of their remaining days until eventually the family gave up all hope and took them off of the life saving machines.

He didn't have the heart to think of a day when he would have to pull the plug on Bella. It would kill Edward. It would devastate Nessie. She had been longing all these years to speak to her mother. She had so many questions for her. Most of the family were able to answer a lot of those questions but there were others that only Bella had the answers to.

Sitting by her side for the next hour he saw no improvement in her condition he felt a sharp pain of sorrow wash over him. He loved Bella like his own child. She was such a good person. She was also a very unique girl. He was sure that someday she would join the rest of his family and become the vampire that Alice had seen in her vision. Now it seem that all hope was lost. Bella was going to remain like this until some miracle changed it. Right now he was not a big believer in miracles. He thought that he had been so clever when he found the drug to help keep her human for awhile longer. He had been so excited to reveal to her that she could stay human a littler longer with out having to force Edward into turning her.

She wanted to become one of them but not like that. Not with such dire circumstances around it. She wanted her change to be special. She didn't want it to be forced upon Edward to do it in order to keep her alive. She knew it wouldn't be a good memory for either of them. So when he suggested the drug she was excited and so happy to know there was another way out. She made him promise not to tell Edward or anyone else in the family. She wanted to surprise them later on. She wanted the opportunity to leave Forks someday with out having to come up with an excuse why she could no longer visit them. She knew if her father believed she had died he wouldn't search for her. Her father was just as stubborn as she was. This seemed like a sure fire way to help her with many problems she had struggled with before she married Edward.

Looking at her pale skin he saw the irony of how Bella appeared to be dead. Sure she was breathing her body was receiving nourishment but was her soul there? Had it already slipped away? Did they lose her after all? Questions filled his head and guilt flooded his heart as he left the room.

* * *

><p>Edward watched as Alexandra piled her clothes on top of her bed. She was trying to figure out what she wanted to wear on their surprise camping trip. He liked Alexandra. She was a nice person. She always brighten up his days when he allowed his mind to be filled with thoughts of Bella and his guilt of putting her in a position where she was forced to fake her death in order to avoid becoming a vampire. He wondered on many nights had Bella prevented her change because deep in her heart she wasn't as positive as she would like him to believe that she wanted to be like them.<p>

Carlisle had informed him that her reasoning had been based on Nessie's condition. What if she was human and not vampire? The baby's growth was so fast and the way that Bella had begun to thirst for blood was two pretty clear signs that their baby wasn't going to be a normal human child. Of course she did have more human traits than vampire ones. She still needed the blood but unlike them, she needed it far less. Her eye color never changed when she was hungry or after she fed. It was a truly remarkable thing to witness as his daughter grew at such a rapid pace.

He was intrigued with her and he was also one hundred percent grateful for her in his life. She was his own miracle baby. Her existence had filled most of his lonely days and nights with out Bella, but it wasn't just Edward that she clung too. No, she had to be near Jake more than anyone else. She seemed to glow when ever he was near her.

Jake had been a blessing when it came to taking care of Nessie when they couldn't. He didn't seem to mind being her babysitter. He even helped with changing her diapers, feeding her, and then the fun process of potty training . Edward found himself forgetting all about the imprint they shared. The more Nessie grew however, the more he became aware of the shared bond between them. When Nessie had nightmares it wasn't his bed she ran to for safety but Jake's. If she fell down and hurt herself it was Jake who could kiss her tears away and make everything okay.

Edward was partially jealous of Jake's role in his daughter's life and heart. He knew that Jake hadn't set out to make his life anymore difficult than he already had in the past but he also knew that Jake was not totally over the top happy about who his imprint had to be either. He knew in his heart that Jake would have rather imprinted with a stranger than the daughter of Bella and Edward's. Still, it was nice knowing that Jake was a extra body guard to protect his daughter from any outside threat.

No one not even the Volturi knew of her existence. Only one person really knew about her. He had come across her one day when he was traveling our country. He met with Edward, explaining that he had been having dreams that kept leading him away from his own in Egypt and here to this strange and horrible country. He couldn't explain it but he knew he had to be here.

He called himself Nahuel and he was half vampire and half human just like Nessie. He told Edward his sad story about how his birth had killed his mother. If it hadn't been for his two older sisters to help raise him, he might not have ever made it. Sadly though his sisters were hunted down and murdered when people believed that their little brother was a demon. He barely escaped with his life when he was forced to learn how to survive on his own.

Many, many years later he came across a vampire. The vampire had been intrigued with how his skin didn't dazzle in the sunlight but when night came his fangs would protrude and he would search for blood. He was helped by this vampire for many years until Nahuel decided he wanted to meet others of his kind. He hoped someday to find someone exactly like him. Unfortunately, he knew that the Volturi normally hunted down his kind and killed them at birth. They saw him as abomination. They weren't meant to exist in this world with the vampires. He was pretty sure they feared him and were also jealous how he could blend in with the rest of the world.

They didn't want half breeds running around the world. They wanted to be the only ones of their kind. They wanted to keep their power to rule the others. A half breed might show signs of power that they couldn't compete with. Edward had been able to discuss with Nahuel about how Nessie was growing so fast and ask questions about what he should expect from her in the future.

Nahuel was happy to tell him about his own changes but explained that hers might be different. Edward was terrified to learn that his daughter was going to be a full grown woman in six years. She would no longer be his precious baby. She would no longer need him to help her. She would be independent from his care, from his control. He knew it was silly that all parents had to give up their children someday but they got eighteen years before that day or reckoning. He only got six years.

Tears filled his eyes as he thought of how much Bella had already missed and if she ever did wake up she would learn that she had a fully grown child. She missed out on the childhood of their only child together. They had robbed her of watching her baby grow up into a woman. Would she hate them? Would she even care? Bella had been pretty adamant before her pregnancy about not wanting any children. She didn't have any desire to be a mother like most women. She told Edward she only wanted him. He was the only thing she would ever want most in this world.

Now all he wanted most in this world was to see Bella open her eyes and experience the last year of their daughter's childhood before she no longer needed them to protect her.

* * *

><p>Nessie tap the pencil against her forehead as she stared at the computer screen with open distaste. She thought it was stupid that she had to learn math or any other school subject. Everyone here thought an education was an important tool that she needed to experience. She had suggested occasionally that maybe if she went to school with other kids her age it might be more fun for her but no one would agree to such a thing. It was horrible living in a house where everyone had a say so about what you do or wanted to do.<p>

When would she ever get to make her own choices? When would she have the same privileges that they had? She would give anything to just take a long drive and head out with no exact destination. Just drive and drive until her heart was content. She got her own car at last but it came with stipulations. The first one was that she could never go anywhere alone. How lame was that? They all seem to think something or someone was going to suddenly drop out of the air and kidnap her. She never understood exactly what they feared about her having some alone time. When she asked them about it they would act like they were being normal parents slash family concerns for any child.

She knew she wasn't normal. She could communicate with her father with her thoughts and drink blood in order to keep up her strength which was as far from normal as humanly possible. Everyone in the house had remained the same for the entire five years she had known them. They might change their clothing and they might move from time to time but nothing really changed about her family members except Jake. He would gain weight and lose weight. She could tell when he was stressed because he would eat less and walk around like a zombie. When she tried to pry out the answers to his sudden melancholy he would lie to her. He would make up some bullshit story about how he missed his family and that was all there was to it.

There was more to it that. She knew he did miss his family and she couldn't blame him. Still, there was always this strange darkness in his eyes when he got in one of those depressing modes of his. She knew he missed someone else also. Her mother. Bella. She had heard some things that the others thought they had kept her from knowing. She knew that her father had disliked Jake from the start because he had also shared feelings for her mother but it was her father who had won her heart over.

Why would Jake still care about her mother after she had married her father was a question that often bug her. Did he think that Bella would wake up someday and change her mind about whom she belonged too? She had her doubts about that. Edward, her father was totally and madly in love with her mother.

Well, he used to act that way but now since Alexandra had come into their lives, she had seen her father smile more often. He even laughed whole heartedly. He seemed to enjoy the family activities with out pretending to be enjoying himself. Did that mean he had feelings for Alexandra also? Could he love two people? Could anyone really be in love with two people?

When she spoke to Carlisle about this he seemed upset by her direct questions. She was wanting to understand better why her father had begun to seem like a different person. Was it love that made him seem more alive? Carlisle tried his best to answer her questions but it was pretty clear he was uncomfortable while discussing it with her.

Still not feeling fulfilled with Carlisle's answers she discussed these thoughts with Jake. She wasn't sure why but her gut warned her that Jake wouldn't be pleased with her. He was always telling her that she needed to worry more about her own decisions and problems, less about others. She knew that he was trying to put up a wall when it came to his own feelings where her mother was concerned. She also knew that he secretly went to the private facility where the family had placed her mother to be treated and tended too once a month. He always made up some lame excuse about needing some space from the others. She was pretty sure he did need that alone time. It had to be hell for him to surrounded by vampires when he was a wolf. He was supposed to be their mortal enemy from what she had learned from her studies with Jasper.

Her Uncle Jasper trained with her a few days a week. He said it was important she knew how to defend herself in case she was ever attacked. She found it thrilling when they worked out. She enjoyed using her full strength and powers in battle. Jasper was the only one who could appreciate it. He too liked stretching his legs and muscles. He told her that if you got too comfortable and let her guard down that an enemy would smell her weakness and pounce on her.

So now here she was doing the human stuff that was expected of her. School work. She hoped that once she passed her high school GED test she might someday be allowed to go to college and experience things that all humans did at that age. She had a sinking feeling that her father would refuse her pleas. He wanted to keep her close to his side. He was such a worry wart. His reasoning made sense but eventually he was going to have to cut the cord between them. She couldn't always be sheltered by him and the rest of the family.

Someday she would have to be allowed to explore the world outside of their home and their spying eyes.

* * *

><p>Later that night…<p>

The nurse performed her nightly ritual with her patient, which included a sponge bath and afterwards a little physical therapy. She wasn't sure if this patient would ever return to the world of the living but when she did, she wanted her to have the ability to walk again. Pulling her patients' legs up and down helping circulate the blood flow and muscle use she put her legs down then covered her up with the blanket. While checking her vitals she grabbed the bottle of lotion. A tall handsome guy always kept the lotion in stock. He was the one visitor who came and sat with her for hours each month.

Opening the cap she was always aroused by the strawberry scented lotion. It was so lovely to the senses. It would take the nurse back to her fun free summer days when she helped pick strawberries from her grandmother's garden.

"Your friend has good taste in lotions." She says as she lathers the lotion over her patients hands and up her arms.

Dabbing a small amount on the woman's face she rubbed it in gently. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw her patient's hand move. Feeling a surge of hope she stopped what she was doing and focused on the hand. Minutes went by but nothing happened. She felt stupid for hoping for such a miraculous thing. It would be great to see just one of her patients recover instead of sink so deep that they never return . It always broke her heart to witness the families when they made the heart wrenching decision to release their loved ones from their comas. Just once she would like to see one of her patients return to this world and live the life they were always intended to have.


	3. When Life Surprises You

Beta: Jessipooks/Mist  
>AN: I want to give a shout out to Britt who made the amazing video for this story! It's women like you on this site, always helping others, that makes writing and joining this site so special. I'm so grateful that Lori created this site. I have become such good friends with some of the craziest and sweetest people around the world!

Chapter Two: When Life Surprises You

Alice had chosen a cozy, open area about a mile from the house where she had set up the surprise party/sleep over. It was decorated with lavender and a soft yellow color. She put up bows, wreaths with assorted flowers and of course decorated lights around the entire camping area. The party had the usual stuff like food, drinks and music. It looked magical. She was so excited that when they manage to get Nessie to the party, blindfolded, Alice's shout of "Surprise" was the loudest of all.

It was a perfect setting and ambiance for a birthday party.

So Jake wondered why wasn't he as excited as the others? He couldn't seem to shake that pending doom feeling that was still anchored in the pit of his stomach. It had been going on for a few days now. He wasn't sure if he should say something to the others about it. They would think he was just worried about staying all night in a tent with Nessie. He had heard a few whispers among Carlisle and Esme about how strange it was that Jake didn't seem as drawn to Nessie as she was to him. They were starting to wonder if he was really imprinted with her.

It was such a ridiculous question in his mind. Why would he lie about something like that? The imprint had been the only damn reason he had gave up his life to be here. He had hated cutting his ties to his family and friends. He had literally been sick to his stomach for weeks after he was cut off from the only world he had ever known.

He wasn't able to sleep for months after they left Forks. At first he thought it was from his paranoia that one of the vampires might try to attack him while he slept. He knew that some of the family members were not pleased with his connection to Nessie. He knew they feared he might actually harm one of them. If he was honest with them and himself, in the past the thought of killing one of them wasn't such a bad idea. But that had changed now since he had grown closer to them.

He had discovered a lot about their past. He had a better understanding that they had not chosen this lifestyle but rather it was forced upon them. This new realization made him wonder how they could be so loyal to Carlisle. He was after all their creator. Wouldn't you be more pissed at the man who forced you to live an immortal life and then inform you in order to exist you had to turn away the very thing that you wanted the most?

Blood.

Human Blood.

Of course he was glad that they had given it up. It made his life easier to be around them now.

It also made his imprint with Nessie more bearable. She never drank human blood, not once. She even seemed almost turned off by the smell of it. Perhaps it was from the fact that they had only given her animal blood since she was in her mother's womb that made the difference.

"OH WOW! You guys are the best!" Nessie squealed like a typical teenager as she bounced up and down on her feet with a big grin on her face.

"Happy Birthday sweetheart." Edward kissed Nessie's cheek first as the others followed.

"I honestly had no idea this time." Nessie admits. She was hard to surprise since she was often very nosey.

"I made sure to put out fake clues to throw you off my trail this time." Alice winked at her. Alice had purposely left out clues that would make her think they were going to leave town for Nessie's party this year.

"Yes, you did." Nessie blushes. She knew she was guilty of snooping around where she didn't have any right to be.

"Well, let's get this party going!" Emmett cries out as he blares the music.

"Jake look...Alice brought stuff for smores. You totally have to make me some." Nessie beamed excitedly.

"Sure." Jake smiles softly.

"Look what else I brought." Alice says as she pulls Nessie over to where she had other food set out for those of us who actually enjoyed eating.

Edward stepped up next to Jake, speaking in a soft tone, his eyes never leaving Nessie's form.

"What's going on Jake?' Edward asks.

"Nothing." Jake shrugs his shoulder not wanting to share anything with Edward at the moment. He didn't want to cause any problems. This party was about celebrating not worrying about the present or future.

"I wish that was true." Edward snorts as he smiles proudly at his daughter.  
>"It is." Jake opened the ice chest grabbing a soda.<p>

"Okay. Just know that if anything happens to her you will deal with me." Edward states before walking away.

Jake inhales sharply. He had to remain in control. He couldn't afford to lose his temper tonight. This was about Nessie not his past hatred for Edward and his self-righteous attitude. He wasn't sure if he and Edward would ever be the kind of buddies that he used to have with the pack. No, he was pretty positive that as long as they both existed, neither of them would ever truly like the other.

Nessie enjoyed having her family around her. She was always comforted by their presence. They each had a special place in her heart. She knew she was a lucky girl to have so much love in her life so why did she feel like something was missing?

Perhaps it was because of her mother. Bella had given up her own life to give Nessie this opportunity to be here tonight. When she was younger she constantly felt torn up whenever she visited her mother's room. She would stare into the face of the woman who had been the light in her father's dark world. It was abundantly clear from the start how each member of the family felt about her mother. They adored her. They wished only good things for her. They wished that she would wake up and enjoy the happiness that she had given them.

She began to have nightmares that her mother would wake up and tell her that she wasn't the daughter she had hoped for. She was a monster. When she cried to her father about it, he assured her that her mother knew before she gave her life that there was the possibility that she wouldn't be normal. He told her never to doubt her mother's love for her. If she was here with them she would be just as proud of Nessie as they all were.

It had angered her when her father and Carlisle had decided on their own to remove her mother from their home and place her in a facility where they said it would be better for her condition. She had a bad feeling that they had done it to keep her from constantly sneaking into her mother's room to study her.

It wasn't her fault she was naturally curious. She knew in her heart that Jake and the rest of the family loved her mother. She wanted to have that same love from them. She wanted to be the center of their universe. How had her mother done it? She was only a mere human. There was nothing unique about her. From what she had seen and knew her mother had no magical abilities and wasn't even in the least supernatural.

So what was it about Bella that drew the others to her like a moth to a flame?

"What do you think about my gift?" Emmett plopped down next to her on the log as he lifted the necklace from her chest, running it across his fingers.

"It was our gift Emmett." Rosalie snaps at him playfully.

"I love it." She really did love it. It was a silver pendant with the letter N hanging from an expensive silver chain.

"Good. Now I wanted to get you a four wheeler but Rose and your dad wouldn't hear of it." Emmett snorts toward the two party poopers. Edward chuckles but Rose rolls her eyes at him.

"A four wheeler would have been just as nice." Nessie's eyes lit up at the thought of racing with Emmett on the death contraption as her father called it. It was ridiculous how her father acted as if she was going to get fatally hurt. She was supposed to be like them, immortal. The only way she knew that any of them could die was if their limbs were torn from their body and thrown into a fire.

Staring at the fire in front of her she shivered inwardly. What an awful way to die she thought to herself.

She pulled her mind away from the horrifying fear and thought of all the other wonderful gifts she had received. Carlisle and Esme had bought her the dress but it was of no use to her tonight. They promised to take her out somewhere special later on so she could show it off.

Jasper and Alice had thrown her the party but they also had given her several other gifts. She was more like her Aunt Alice when it came to shopping, neither of them could stop once they started.

She had received a new lap top, a digital camera, a lavender leather diary and of course, a thousand dollar gift card that her father had not been too pleased about.

Her father had given her a pair of diamond stud earrings that she was pretty sure were just as expensive as the gifts that Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper had given her.

Alexandra had given her a couple pairs of expensive jeans she had on her wish list as well as a few CD's.

It was Jake's gift that she would treasure the most. It was a handcrafted wooded frame with a picture of her and him. It wasn't him in his human form but him as the wolf. She had her arm around his large thick furry neck. She was smiling up at him and his eyes smiled back at her.

Jake never allowed anyone to take pictures of him in wolf form. He feared someone would come across it and question if such an animal really existed. He knew that there were many hunters out in the world who would love to have his head mounted on their wall.

"Did you like it?" Jake asks as he hands her another smore.

"Mmmm….perfect." Nessie moans as she licks the marshmallow from her fingertips.

"Good." Jake laughs softly as he prepares his own.

"How are you feeling?" Jake asks her as he keeps his eyes on the melting food at the end of his stick.

"Fine." Nessie answers easily.

"Are you sure? I was wondering when you ate last?" Jake turns the stick slowly a few times before pulling his snack off.

"Uh…Jake I just ate several slices of cake and two hot dogs and now these smores." Nessie replies giving him a puzzled look.

"Not food Nessie, blood." Jake said the word blood with a slight choke in his voice.

"Oh." Nessie felt the usual flow of guilt wash over her. She knew how much Jake didn't enjoy her need for blood. He wanted her to be more human than vampire. He might be imprinted with her but he wasn't happy about all that came with it. She didn't need to read minds to know this little fact. She saw the disgusted look in his eyes when he helped her hunt or when she grabbed a bottle of animal blood to sip on while spending time with him.

In fact, after the first few hunts he allowed others to take her out. It didn't bother her at first, after all, it wasn't in his nature to hunt down animals to eat. He only hunted one thing, vampires. His wolf didn't need animal flesh in order to survive. No, he only needed regular food in order to live. She was envious of him and wished that she could be more like Jake when it came to her own needs for nourishment.

Although Jake never said their differences in appetite were a problem for him, she could still feel it. She wondered if he would ever get use to her need for blood. It wasn't like she had asked for this kind of lifestyle. It was the only way she could survive and be as strong as the others.

Would he ever get past it? Would he just go on pretending that it didn't bother him as much as it truly did? Would she be able to pretend that she didn't know about his disgust of her? Could she remain silent about the subject for eternity? Doubtful. It wasn't in her nature to let things go that bothered her so much. This bothered her. It festered and seeped through her soul like a disease. She wanted so badly to have his acceptance of her.

She knew he was only with her at the moment because of the magical imprint between their souls. It didn't mean he had to love her the way she wanted to be loved. It just meant he would be there for her. He would provide her with what she needed in order to make her happy but he couldn't force himself to love her in a way that he had loved her mother.

Yeah, she knew how he had chased after her mother. She also knew that Jake would have died for her.

Still, he was thoughtful to her needs. He did provide her with protection. He seemed to genuinely care about her. However where passion should have been growing between them, she didn't feel it. At least not on his part.

She had counted the tents shortly after they arrived and was surmising that she was to share a tent possibly with Jake. Her heart had leapt with joy at the idea. Maybe tonight would be her chance to be alone with him and possibly receive a birthday kiss, privately. She knew how Jake didn't like too much public display of affection around the others.

"It's been a few days." Nessie answered.

"You need to feed soon. You know how dangerous it is for you to go without for too long." Jake warns her.

Nessie rolls her eyes while anger flashes through them. All the romantic thoughts she had moments before had been erased as she looked into his eyes.

"You're not my father Jake. I don't need you to tell me what to do." Nessie's voice was deep and angry.

"I know that." Jake looked shockingly at her.

"Then stop telling me when I should eat or not eat." Nessie replies as she jumps off of the log and goes off to where she saw Edward and Alex talking.

She knew she had overreacted to his concerns about her need to feed on blood but it was just another sad example of how Jake saw her as a child and not the woman she had grown into.

************************************************************************  
>Everyone had made their ways to their tents a little after midnight. Jake knew it was their way of acting as if they were as human as Nessie and himself.<p>

He was the last to go into the tent he was expected to share with Nessie. He had spotted the look of fear in Edward's eye when Nessie had entered the tent earlier. He knew that Edward was thinking back to their shared past. Hell, he had been thinking about it ever since he had been informed of Alice's great idea of this camping trip.

He wished that he could read Edward's thoughts. He hated how Edward knew most of his thoughts but he had no clue to what Edward thought.

"Remember she is still a child even if her body doesn't seem to be." Edward had spoken so softly to Jake that if he hadn't been already nervous enough he would have laughed in his face. They were surrounded by vampires. There was no such thing as a reasonable whisper in this close area.

"I know." Jake snapped.

"Good." Edward pursed his lips together before reluctantly leaving Jake's side.  
>Jake looked up at the clear night sky and wondered what Bella would have thought about this night. Would she have been just as worried as Edward was about his sleeping arrangement with her daughter? He knew it was such a useless question to wonder about so he made his way to the tent with a forlorn look on his face.<p>

It wasn't going to be easy to resist her but he was going to do it. He knew that Nessie was hoping for something intimate and romantic to occur between them tonight. There was no way he was going to let that happen. First of all they were surrounded by her family who could hear a needle drop a mile away. Secondly, he wasn't sure if he felt the sort of love that was required to be so intimate. With Bella it had come so easily. He had told her once before that being with him would be as natural as breathing. Being with Bella was the most natural and the most enticing thing in the world. She was like the icing on a cupcake. You just had to lick it before you sunk your teeth in.

However, according to his pack Bella wasn't his imprint. She was just the girl he always loved. She was the one he wasn't ever supposed to keep forever in his life and heart. They told him that once he found his true imprint that his love for Bella would waver. He would be able to let her go. It wouldn't hurt like this. It would just be a natural break. Yet here he was with his so called true imprint and he didn't feel even the remote closeness to her as he had with Bella.

Nessie heard him enter the tent, the cool night air slipping underneath the blankets made her body shiver.

"Hey." Nessie sat up looking directly at Jake. She felt awful about being so rude to him earlier. She knew it was just his nature to look out for her. He couldn't help it if he didn't feel the deep romantic love that she felt for him.

"Hey." Jake replied back while climbing over to her side and laying on top of the blankets.

"I'm sorry I was rude earlier Jake." Nessie says.

"It's okay. I get it. I hated it when my friends always seem to think they knew what was best for me. It made me feel like such a kid." Jake chuckles bitterly as he recalled the times he had begrudged Sam for always acting like he knew the answers to everything.

"You're so sweet Jake. I can't imagine anyone making you feel less than perfect. You're like the most….well…you're perfect to me." Nessie reached out grabbing his hand in hers.

"Thanks Nessie. I think you're perfect too." Jake stares at their hands together. Shouldn't he feel a spark between them? Shouldn't he be fighting the urge to kiss her? Yet, he felt like he was with one of his sisters.

"Do you Jake? I feel like sometimes you wished I was someone else." Nessie chewed on the corner of her lip as she let her fears out. She knew that it wasn't always wise to let someone know what you feared the most. Jasper had told her it was a sign of weakness but Jake wasn't her enemy he was her friend, her protector, her wolf.

"What?" Jake cried out as he suddenly felt very uncomfortable next to her.

"I'm serious Jake. I can't read your thoughts. I can pick up on things but I'm not as gifted as my father with the whole mind reading thing. My instincts however are just as in tuned as yours so I know that you don't feel the same about me." Nessie decided to just let it all out. It wasn't like Jake would just up and leave her if he didn't like what she said.

"Nessie I…well…it's just that…damn it." Jake dropped her hand as he scratched his forehead nervously. He had to choose his words wisely before he said something disastrous and broke her heart. He knew that the entire Cullen Clan would kick his ass if he did such a thing. Maybe that was one of the things that bothered him the most. They were always surrounded by the others. He had never spent much time alone with her.

Could that be why his feelings had not had a chance to grow, to change because nothing had changed around them in five years?

"It's okay Jake." Nessie covered her face with both of her hands as warm tears trickled down her cheeks.

"No it's not okay Nessie. I'm so sorry that I'm disappointing you. I tend to do that a lot with women." Jake laughed harshly as he thought about the times he had accidentally made Bella cry when he said or did the wrong thing.

"I know you don't mean too." Nessie murmured.

"Stop it. Stop crying. Look at me. You're beautiful Nessie. You're unique. You're an awesome girl. There is nothing wrong with you. It's just that….well, being around vampires all the time kind of gets on my nerves. I feel like I'm suffocating at times." Jake confesses as he pulls her hands away from her face.

"This, all of this is not what I was meant to do or be." Jake sobs as his own tears begin to brim in his eyes.

"What were you meant to be?" Nessie was puzzled by his own set of fears.

"I was born a leader. A reluctant one but I was destined to be the next chief of our tribe. I was expected to someday be the Alpha to my own pack. I enjoyed the freeness of my spirit and my wolf combined. I could run and escape the worries of the world. Now, I just get to go so far before I'm expected to return to the house to keep watch over you. I can't hunt like I was meant too. I can't take out the enemies that my wolf was created to do. It's like I'm being held back against my own will. I can't do what nature designed me to do. Not while I'm here among all of them." Jake pointed toward the side where the others were located in their own tents.

"You feel caged." Nessie whispers softly as it occurs to her that Jake and her were more alike than either of them knew. She too felt that way. She often grew agitated when she was not allowed to roam and explore the outside world. She was only permitted to see and experience what they deemed was good for her. No wonder Jake felt so lost. He was a grown man who deserved to do what he wished to do. He didn't have to be here but he was. He was doing what was expected of him. He was being a responsible man.

Nessie's heart sunk as she realized she was one of the obligations that was holding him back.

"I'm sorry Jake. If I could do anything to set you free I would." Nessie throws her arms around his neck as her tears trickle down her face and onto his backside. Jake holds her against him feeling like such an ass for making her feel like she was the only reason he couldn't walk away. It wasn't entirely the truth but the majority of the reason he couldn't leave this life was due to his imprint with her. He knew the sort of damage it could possibly create for her, for the both of them. He had never tested the limits of just how far away he could be from her without enduring some form of physical pain.

"I know you would but it's not like I really want to leave your side." Jake hoped his half lie would ease her guilt. He couldn't afford to have her thinking that she was the only reason he was so unhappy these days. There was more to this pain he endured.

"Are you sure about that?" Nessie pulls back a little to look up at him.

"I'm sure." Jake smiles tenderly at her.

"We should go away Jake. Just you and me. Together alone somewhere. I'm old enough now. I mean come on you are my imprint. Why can't they see that I'm just as safe with you as I am with them? We could take a trip somewhere for a few days. Go exploring and lose ourselves for a while." Nessie's eyes beamed with hopefulness as her scheme began to come to life in her head.

"What?" Jake cries out surprised by her quick mood change. He had to hand it to her she was always amazing him with her quick thinking. She was an amazing person and he knew he was blessed to have her in his life and on his side.

"Seriously, come on... if we can get Carlisle to agree to it then there is no way my father can argue with it. Please Jake. Please at least attempt to help me, help us escape for a while." Nessie continue to plead with her eyes knowing that Jake was a sucker when she pouted and batted her eyelashes at him. It had gotten her out of so much trouble with him in the past.

Jake had to admit to himself the thought of going away for a short while was tempting as hell. Nessie was capable of managing in the outside world even if the others had such little confidence in her. They wanted to keep her the little girl but sadly she wasn't that little curly hair baby anymore. She was nearly grown up and she was right they did deserve a trip on their own and he was capable of keeping her safe.

"I will try." Jake caved in. Nessie squealed softly with pure happiness as she smacked her lips against his warm cheek before crawling off of his lap and back underneath her blankets.

"Don't expect Carlisle to be so easy to sway." Jake warned her knowing that Carlisle could be just as pig headed as Edward, especially when it came to keeping his family safe.

"I know but I have a feeling that the two of us together will be a force to be reckoned with against him." Nessie snickered.

"You're probably right." Jake laughs as he lays back down on the pallet next to her.

"Night Jake. Thank you for being so honest with me." Nessie rolled over on her side placing another quick kiss on his cheek before rolling back and falling into a deep sleep.  
>Jake watched over her as she slept soundly wondering if he had made the right choice about joining up with her in order to get some space from the others.<p>

Bella felt like she was moving up through water, pushing hard against the pressure that was settling on her chest. It felt like she was fighting to the surface above water. It was as if she had been sinking deeper and deeper into the murky water but now her body was prepared to fight and push upward. Seeing a bright light ahead, she felt a surge of joy engulf her. It was exhilarating.

Opening her eyes she was hit by the dimness of the light above her. Was she dead? No, she couldn't be dead. The drug that Carlisle had administered was only suppose to make her feel dead temporarily.

Feeling a sudden pounding sharp pain shoot in her head she knew this wasn't death. This was life. Pain always came with life. Flickering her eye lids a few times before she could adjust to the small amount of light above her she turned her head to the sound of the beeping she had often heard but couldn't actually see.

She felt herself gagging as a foreign object was lodge in her throat. Grabbing it she pulled as hard as she could, which was not easy since she felt weaker than a newborn. She finally managed to take out the tube that was causing the pain in her throat.

Gulping hard she felt like her throat had been scraped with sand paper. Tears hit her eyes as the pain began to increase.

Where was she? Why wasn't someone in the room with her?

Was she in a hospital? Turning her head as slowly as she could without creating agonizing pain in her already sore neck she saw she was hooked up to machines that reminded her of the last time she had been liked this. It had happened after James had attacked her.

Fighting against the pain she tried to lift her head up to see more of her surrounding environment. She was definitely in a hospital room. A nicer one than the last time. She saw a vase of flowers not far from her. She thought the flowers might be daisies but she wasn't sure. Her vision was blurred from the unshed tears in her eyes.

The pain was unbearable. She dropped her head back against the soft fluffy pillow. Closing her eyes she felt better. A little less confused and less pain helped her think clearer.

The last thing she remembered was being with Edward and Carlisle as she gave birth to their baby. She began to remember the way Edward wept loudly as she screamed and lashed out from the painful delivery. She had warned herself every day that this birthing experience would be extremely more painful than the normal kind. For one she wasn't having a normal child, and two, this baby was literally trying to tear its way out of her. It was an unusual situation. It was also a very excruciating one.

Still, if she had the choice to do it all over again she would. She knew that this was the only chance she would ever have of experiencing the wonder of motherhood. Rosalie had once voiced her own regrets about never having this opportunity. She knew that Rose would for once be on her side when she had pleaded with her to protect this baby from the others. Rosalie had fought fiercely by her side against her own family when they had tried to talk her out of it.

Opening her eyes again she inhaled deeply feeling like she was the one being reborn today. The air stung in her lungs, her body was so weak and useless. She told her toes to wiggle but she didn't feel them respond, at least not right away. A few seconds later she was able to wiggle all of her toes and move her foot.

She wasn't sure why but she felt a sudden burst of pride from doing something so uncomplicated.

She continued to keep her eyes closed when she thought she heard a sound coming toward her room. She wasn't sure why but she felt a sudden case of fear wash over her. Should she pretend to be sleeping? Then she thought about the tube she had yanked out of her mouth. Anyone with a set of eyes would notice that it was missing. She knew it was time to prepare herself for whatever came through that door. She had been asleep for far too long. She wasn't sure how long but she had a bad feeling it was for longer than a few days. Opening her eyes she looked down at her shoulders, her hair was much longer than it had been.

The door opened as a sound of soft padded shoes entered the room. Bella cautiously opened her eyes to see who was with her. When she locked eyes with an unfamiliar face she saw the woman look at her with sudden shock.

"OH MY! Oh honey you poor thing!" The nurse saw the tube that Bella had tried to hide by her side.

The nurse raced to her side, grabbing the unneeded tube and slinging it on to the table next her.

"Can you hear me?" She leans over looking closely into Bella's eyes.

"Yes." Bella croak. The pain of saying her first word made tears spill out of her eyes.

"I bet you're in some pain. OH MY! I have to go get the doctor before I can help that." The nurse clapped her hands excitedly in front of her before racing out of the room squealing with joy.

Bella sighed heavily. Apparently her nurse was excited that she had finally woke up. Bella licked her dry lips. She didn't' have much saliva to really do any good. She looked around the room once again and realized how sterile and lonely it appeared to be. Where was Edward? Where were the Cullen's? Why was she left here all alone? Had something happened to them while she was in the induced coma? Feeling her heart ache she felt more tears flow out of her eyes and down her face, except these tears were from an entirely different kind of pain.


	4. Beware of Answered Prayers

Rating: M-In later scenes, violence, sexual content, and sexual language

Betas: Jessipooks/Mist

A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone who has joined and all the wonderful reviews and support for this story. Britt did a wonderful job on the video and tells my story perfectly. You guys are the best! Xoxo

Chapter 3: Beware of Answered Prayers

Although Alice had put up a tent for Alex she didn't want to be alone, so she went next door to Edwards. Of course much to her disappointment he was still fully dressed sitting on top of the sleeping bag that was provided for each of them. "Hi." Alex smiled warmly as she crawl up next to Edward.

She noticed right away he had a book in his hands. This was becoming a constant thing with him. She was having a hard time getting him out of the house. She couldn't see how it was healthy for him to hide away in his room and just read or on some rare occasions she would actually find him playing the piano. He had remarkable talent with the musical instrument. She loved watching him as he worked on a new piece. He would get so intense and seemed to be lost in his own magical world.

Of course, there were times when she wondered if his sole reason for writing the melancholy songs were his way of expressing his pain. He was still hoping that his wife, Bella would wake up. Alex couldn't honestly say if she would be happy or not. She just hated watching this family stay in a pause mode. It was like they couldn't quite move forward with their lives until either Bella woke up or died.

She didn't foresee any of the Cullen's or Edward pulling the plug on Bella anytime soon. They all still had their hearts devoted to her despite the time she had been lifeless in her bed.

"Hey." Edward replies as he folds the corner of the page on the book he is reading.

"I think the party was a success. Nessie seemed genuinely pleased with her gifts." Alex states with a pleased tone of her own.

"Yeah, she did." Edward agrees as he flashes her a satisfied grin.

"I was wondering how you were handling this part." Alex bit down on her lower lip as she glanced at the tent's opening. She knew that Edward wasn't too thrilled about Jake and Nessie sleeping alone together tonight.

"It's not so bad." Edward pressed his lips together trying to look calm despite his case of edgy nerves.

"It's not?" Alex patted his hand.

"I mean…Jake hasn't really shown any signs of ….well you know…like trying anything sexually aggressive with her." Edward cringed as he used the word "sexually" in the sentence.

"Nope, in fact I have to say for someone who is supposed to be magically in love with her he doesn't seem to be so enthralled with her. She is over the moon in love with him."

"I think he loves her." Edward wasn't sure why but her honesty about the situation with Jake and Nessie made him feel a little uneasy. He wouldn't admit it to her but he had picked up Jake's thoughts every once in a while that pertained to Nessie. He had been quite surprised to discover how fatherly most of his thoughts were. The Jake he remembered with Bella was flirty and constantly had a head filled with lustful thoughts about his wife. This Jake didn't have those thoughts. If he did he had found a way to hide them from Edward.

"You know him better than I do." Alex shrugs while flipping a lock of hair off of her shoulders.

"Sometimes I wished I didn't know him so well." Edward half jokes.

"Still, it must make you guys feel a little more invincible knowing you have a powerful wolf in your clan." Alex thought out loud.

It had shocked her to learn that Jake wasn't a vampire but a shape shifter. She had heard of their existence but up until now she had never come across one. She was even more confused to learn that he was involved with the half vampire child. The whole family seemed so at ease with the bizarre situation. It took her sometime to let her guard down when he was close to her.

"I guess." Edward hadn't seen the situation from that perspective before but she was right. It did give them an edge over the other clans.

"So what's boggling that brilliant mind of yours?" Alex asks.

"Nothing." Edward replied but his voice exposed his lie.

"Come on Edward. I thought we were friends. Why do you feel like you have to hide things from me?" Alex winked at him. She was reminding him that she had the ability to pick up lies. He might be able to read her mind but she knew when he was telling her the truth or not.

"I'm not hiding anything from you." Edward laughs nonchalantly.

"Okay. Why are you withholding information from me?" She continues barraging him with her curious questions.

"I don't know. I'm not exactly known for my openness." Edward answers.

"True. Still, I would like to think that we are close enough that you feel you can trust me. We are close aren't we?" Alex placed her hand softly over his as she looked deep in his eyes. She saw the nervousness she had inspired in them.

"Yes, we are." Edward licked his lips trying to fight back the urge to flee. He knew Alex didn't mean to cause such turmoil in him but her touch felt a little too affectionate for his taste. He didn't want to give her the wrong sign. His heart still belonged to Bella. He was still a married man.

"Good. So talk to me about this problem that is laying heavily on your mind or I will just pick your brain all night long." Alex warned him.

Edward pulled his hand away as he chuckled faintly.

"I'm concerned about how fast Nessie is growing up. Eventually she and Jake will want to separate from us. I mean come on, when you're young you don't exactly want to live with your parents for the rest of your life." Edward caved and gave her just enough information to prevent her from bugging him for the rest of the night.

"So? Jake is capable of protecting her or do you doubt his abilities?" Alex asks.

Alex had never had the chance to experience motherhood before her change and she honestly hadn't any clue about what Edward was experiencing but she still felt like as a woman she understood Nessie's need to spread her wings. No one wanted to live out their lives surrounded by the same people. Everyone grew bored with someone at some point. It was one of the reasons she had left the safety of her small clan back in Louisiana. She wanted to see the world with her own eyes, make her own choices and have the sort of freedom she would have had if she had been a mere mortal still.

"Sure he will do his very best to protect her. I know that Jake is more than capable of it. It's just that…well…no one person can prevent anyone from dying or coming across trouble. I mean even here with me doesn't necessarily mean she will always be safe or unharmed in anyway. She will have to learn some hard lessons about life no matter where she is." Edward sighed heavily.

"Then you must learn to stop worrying about things you can't predict or control. It must be tough on you being her sole parent. I mean all the responsibility has been on your shoulders." Alex answers.

"Umm…well, I've had some help from the others." Edward pointed out that he wasn't entirely raising Nessie all on his own.

"Exactly, so relax. We will help you if a time ever comes that you need us too." Alex smiled proudly at him.

"Thanks." Edward noted how she put herself in that "we".

"No problem. I love the girl. She reminds me a little of myself when I was that age." Alex's eyes widen as she began to recall her childhood. She was wild and rebellious back then.

"Really." Edward says with a surprised look in his eyes.

"Yep. Trust me Nessie will make mistakes but I promise you with your help and the rest of us, she will manage just fine. She's a lucky girl to have all of this love." Alex assures him.

"Your right." Edward agrees.

"Of course I am." Alex announces.

"But let's be honest it's not just Nessie's impending freedom that is bothering you tonight. You're also thinking about Bella. I can see it in your eyes. You're probably thinking about how she has missed another monumental birthday in Nessie's life." Alex decided not to pull any punches and just be blunt with him.

"Guilty." Edward throws his hands up in the air like a guilty suspect.

"Hahaha! I knew it." Alex cries out victoriously.

"So what do you think she would say about all of this?" Alex looked around at the sparse tent.

"She would love it. She always enjoyed when Alice did the planning. She knew that she wouldn't disappoint. It's just one of Alice's specialties. She wouldn't be so comfortable about the sleeping arrangements. "Edward smirked.

"Why not? Wouldn't she think that Jake would act like the honorable young man that he is?" Alex hadn't heard the entire history surrounding Bella and Jake. She was only privy to a few small details. She knew that Jake had once fought with Edward over Bella's heart but that was all she got. No real details about the past situation.

"She wouldn't like it because Jake was her…well…they were very close. He was her best friend before she discovered he had an enormous crush on her." Edward answered as his eyes clouded over remembering how he nearly lost her a few times when Jake wiggled his way into her heart.

"So she didn't return those feelings for him?" Alex licked her lips as she listened closely. She enjoyed gossip and good stories. It was one of her many weaknesses.

"No. Not at first." Edward looked away as he restrained himself from showing the pain he had felt when it hit Bella that her feelings for Jake had been hidden from her until they shared a kiss. A kiss she gave Jake permission to perform.

"Oh. Did you and Jake have some kind of battle over her? You know fists thrown, hair pulled that sort of thing?" Alex teases him.

"No. It never came down to that. Well, it almost did. On our wedding day he made an appearance and he upset her pretty bad. I wasn't pleased with his reaction and luckily my brothers and his pack got us under control before things got out of hand." Edward's lips curled up in a crooked smile.

"Well, it seemed to work out just right." Alex says.

"What do you mean?" Edward asks curiously.

"Okay here is how I see it. If you and Bella had never gotten married and conceived Nessie then Jake wouldn't have imprinted on her. So you two were fated to be together." Alex answers.

"I guess so." Edward hadn't considered that before. It was true he had refused to have a sexual relationship with Bella until they were married. After they were legally wedded he took a big risk having sex with her. There had been major consequences from their love making. Nessie was conceived and now his daughter was destine to spend out her immortal life with Jake.

"So Jake is no longer a threat to you or your marriage. Happy ending on your end of things." Alex laughs.

"Yeah." Edward didn't laugh in return. He wasn't exactly having the happily ever after he had planned on when he proposed to Bella. She wasn't even here. She was in a frozen state.

"I'm sorry. I meant in the bigger scheme of things." Alex felt awful about unintentionally had hurt him. She had force him to remember about Bella's present situation. She was trying to help him think of happier moments in his life not the realization that always kept him in such a mopey state.

"Yes." Edward was about to say more when Carlisle suddenly made an unexpected appearance.

"Carlisle." Edward looked for a moment awkwardly guilty since he was alone in a tent with Alex. Although they weren't touching one another at the moment he hoped it didn't look like more than what it was to his father.

"I need to speak to you privately." Carlisle flashed Alex an apologetic smile as Edward made his way out of the tent.

Carlisle led him away from the other tents toward the desolate wooded area.

"Why are walking so far away?" Edward got a nervous twitch in his stomach. Hopefully he wasn't about to get a lecture from Carlisle about how it would look to Nessie or the others having Alex in his tent.

It wouldn't be the first time that Carlisle had mentioned his opinion on the touchy subject. Edward had vowed to his father that he didn't have any romantic feelings toward their newest family member. In fact, he just saw her like a step sister of sorts.

Okay, if he was truly honest he had to admit there were moments when he was around. Alex that it was comforting and easy. She seemed to like most of the same things he did. They had both experienced the same eras. She understood where some of his old fashion ideas came from. She also enjoyed spending time with Nessie. It pleased him that she was so fond of his daughter. He didn't see any reason not to like her. Honestly he wasn't in love with her and he wanted Carlisle to know that and anyone else who was worried about it.

"Edward, I just received a distressing call from Shadybrooks." Carlisle whispers gently.

Edward stopped abruptly hearing the mention of the two words, distressing and Shadybrooks. This couldn't be good news.

"What's wrong?" Edward stood very still as his eyes pleaded with Carlisle to be swift with the bad news.

"There's nothing wrong actually, it's good. It's perfect." Carlisle's serious expression dropped and a joyful look crossed it instead.

"What does that mean?" Edward fought back the urge to shout for joy as his mind begins to consider what Carlisle was leading too.

"Bella has woken up. They said she seems to be physically okay at the moment. She woke up but could barely speak to the nurse before they gave her some pain medicine that put her back to sleep." Carlisle answers excitedly.

"Oh thank you Lord!" Edward pressed his hands together as if he was praying into the air.

"We can't tell the others just yet. I mean, we have to see her for ourselves. She is going to be in quite a shock when she learns just how much time has passed. I mean, we might not have aged while she was in her coma but Nessie did. Then there is the matter of Jake and Nessie imprinting that might create some type of panic in her. I know you don't want to hear this but I think Bella isn't going to be their biggest supporter." Carlisle warns him with a grounding tone.

Edward's smile dropped as fast as it had appeared.

"Why would she give a damn about Jake and Nessie's situation? She is my wife now. She doesn't feel that way for Jake anymore." Edward looked angrily at Carlisle for stealing away his happy moment with past conflicts.

"Edward, you've had time to adapt to it all. Bella hasn't. This is going to be like the day Nessie was first born. Remember how shocked you were when Nessie communicated with you that she belonged to Jake?" Carlisle reminded Edward that he wasn't exactly their biggest supporter either at least not from the start.

"I guess so." Edward shook those awful days from his mind. He only wanted to concentrate on the moment. The miraculous moment that he had prayed and hoped for, for so long.

"Plus we need to just keep a watchful eye on her. I still don't entirely understand why the magical potion I gave her lasted so long in her system. We have to watch for any side effects that might occur from her being out of it for so long." Carlisle grabbed his son's arm, bracing him to not get too excited too fast. They still had a ways to go before they could truly celebrate her return to them. "Fine." Edward agreed eagerly to his demands.

"Can we go now?" Edward pleads.

"Yes. Esme is going to tell them that I was needed at the hospital and you came with me because you were bored." Carlisle rolled his eyes at their lame excuse.

"Okay." Edward chuckles as he reaches in his pocket to find the keys.

"Let's go." Carlisle follows Edward as they sneak out as quietly as possible not wanting to cause any of the other family members to be alert to the action they were headed toward.

Alex waited impatiently in Edward's tent for a good thirty minutes before she stepped out to go in search of him. She had a bad feeling that once again the family was hiding something from her. Although they made honest attempts of treating her like one of them she still felt out of place. She knew they shared a long history together. It would take her time to truly fit in as one of them.

Then again, she reminded herself, she still wasn't sure if she wanted to remain here or not. After all, her main goal of leaving her clan back home was so she could explore the world. Staying here wasn't exactly the most exciting place.

When she couldn't locate Carlisle or Edward she started to return to her own tent when she heard Nessie moaning.

Listening closely she made her way quietly to their tent. Pulling the flap open a small amount so she could look in on the couple she saw that Jake was laying on his side facing the opposite side of Nessie. Nessie appeared to be tossing and turning from a bad dream of sorts. She considered waking her up but wasn't sure how Jake would respond finding her in their personal space. Out of all the family members Jake's dislike of her was pretty loud and clear. He didn't trust her. She knew it was natural for a wolf not to trust a vampire but he seemed to be easy going with the others. She told herself it was only due to the fact that he had not been around her as long as he had the others.

Jake rolled over scooting up next to Nessie. His arms wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly against him. A few seconds later Nessie's nightmare appeared to go away as her imprint held her safely by his side. She had to admit that she envied the young couple. They had each other while she had just herself to keep her cozy at night.

Shaking the pity party from her head she returned to her tent. She knew she had a chance at true love but she had walked away from it. She made that choice. No one put a gun to her head. She was too damn young and too scared to make the sort of commitment that her beau had asked of her. Instead she ran straight into the arms of a handsome man who took her to the dark side. Now that very being slept in another tent next to his true mate.  
>Tears trickled down her face as she struggled to fight back the memories of her past. It was too late to change it now and she just had to live the rest of her life hoping that maybe, just maybe love would find her again.<p>

*********************************************************************  
>When they entered the sterile, quite facility Carlisle went directly to the doctor on duty in charge of Bella while Edward went directly to Bella's room. He was silently hoping like hell she would be awake again so he could see for himself that his wife, lover, and soul mate was truly alive again. He had to admit he found it ironic that she woke up on the very day she went into the coma five years before.<p>

When he entered the room he saw the nurse first. She was pouring water into a cup. Turning his head very slowly he saw a vision he had prayed hard for. Bella was sitting up, her eyes barely opened as she allowed the nurse to help her get a drink.

Edward couldn't speak. He just watched. He was so happy and so excited that he wasn't sure if was capable of forming even one rational sentence. He knew if his heart could beat it would be slamming like a jack hammer at this moment. However, it didn't.

Instead, his head was racing with crazy thoughts as the nurse set the cup down. She looked up and caught Edward staring at them in the door way. Her face lit up when she looked at him.

"It would seem you have your first guest already." The nurse whispers softly.

Bella blinked her eyes a few times before it registered in her brain what the nurse was talking about. Turning her head carefully she looks directly at Edward's face. Her eyes widen as her lips trembled.

Edward flew to her side. The nurse made her way swiftly out of the room. Edward lifted Bella's hand in his as he leaned over the bed railing, their faces mere inches apart.

"You don't know how long I have wished for this moment. To look in your eyes again." Edward's eyes exposed the raw pain he was feeling.

Bella wanted to respond but her throat still hurt like hell so she smiled at him instead.

"I'm still mad at you for doing this without my consent." Edward teases her as he places small kisses all over her face.

Bella's heart surges with joy. She had half expected him to be a bit mad at her for going behind his back and having Carlisle insert her with a magical serum that would make her seem dead to everyone. She didn't regret doing it. She knew it was the only way out without creating chaos with the wolves and her family. She knew neither party would ever give up looking for her.

She couldn't bare lying to her parents over and over again about why she couldn't visit them. She knew it would create suspicion from her father. She knew it would make her mother frantic with fear when she never made a reappearance in her old life. Yes, this was the right thing to do for everyone. She had made the choice on her own since it was the last free choice she knew she would ever make.

"Can you talk?" Edward asks with concern.

Bella nodded her head "no" and pointed to her throat.

"Is difficult to speak or just too painful?" Edward remembered Carlisle mentioning how she was in some pain since she woke up.

Bella's face scrunched up as she attempted to say something to him.

"Huu..rts." She croaked.

"I'm sorry Bella. I'm just so damn glad you're okay now." Edward covered her body with his as he embraced her.

Bella shivered. She had forgotten how cold his body was next to hers.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" Edward had felt her body tremble beneath his.

She shook her head "no" in response and gave him a weak smile.

"Carlisle is talking to your doctors now. They will probably want to run some tests on you before they will release you to me." Edward rubbed the back of her hand as he stared deeply into her eyes.

Bella sighed sadly. She didn't want to be confined to this room. She felt like she had been asleep forever instead of the week or two that Carlisle had predicted. She also had so many questions to ask Edward and wasn't sure if it was safe enough to do so in this room.

"I promise you we will get you out of here as soon as we can. We don't want to cause the staff to get suspicious." Edward heard himself explaining to Bella. He knew deep down that the other reason he gave her that excuse was just in case Carlisle feared she was not ready to adapt to her new surroundings. He thought Carlisle was being a bit paranoid but he knew Carlisle only had her best interests at heart so he would go along with it.

Bella nodded her head in understanding.

She scanned the room again wondering why the rest of the family had not joined them. Were they with the baby? Was the baby okay? So many damn questions flooded her head and it was starting to give her a headache. Trying to calm herself down she reminded herself that Edward was here with her now and that was all that should better at the moment.

***************************************************************

Jake woke up just as the sun was rising. Pulling himself up he look over to his side and found Nessie curled up on her side, snoring softly. He laughed inwardly. She used to do the same thing when she was a baby. They all thought it was so damn cute the way she snored. It was as soft as a whisper but it was definitely a snoring sound she made.

Scratching his head he stealthily made his way out of the tent. Lifting his arms above his head he stretched a few different ways before he felt completely awake. Yawning loudly he made his way to the table where he was sure he smelled fresh brewed coffee and cinnamon rolls. Someone had gone to the house and prepared breakfast for them.  
>Glancing around he saw no one, lifting his nose in the air he tried to pick up a familiar scent but came up with only one. Alex.<p>

He wasn't sure why but he wished he had smelt anyone but her.

Grabbing a cup he fixed himself some coffee. Sipping on it he wondered where everyone had gone too. It wasn't like them to stray too far. He checked his watch and knew it was still early in the morning and wondered if they took off in search of food? Usually they liked to hunt at night. Less chance of having a hunter come across them. Although they had bought a hundred acres of land when they made purchased the house and hunters were not allowed on private property there was always that slim chance that someone wouldn't abide by the law.

Alex came out of her tent wearing a light smile as her eyes locked with Jake's.

"Good morning." Alex said sweetly.

"Good morning." Jake's voice was not as cheery as hers but he wasn't rude either.

"Where is everyone?" Jake asks as he looks around the vacant camping area.

"Let's see, Esme and Alice are at the house rearranging the living room. Esme bought a new couch that is supposed to be delivered today. Emmett and Jasper headed out for a quick bite. Edward and Carlisle left late last night when he got a call from the hospital needing his assistance with some surgery." Alex answers as she counts down everyone with her fingers.

"Why would Edward go to the hospital with Carlisle?" Jake wasn't surprised with the other answers but that one was different. Edward didn't care too much for the constant aroma of blood that they were tempted by when they visited the hospital. Carlisle was somehow immune to it.

"Esme said he was bored." Alex shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh." Jake caught the momentarily look of hurt in her eyes but it was quickly covered up with her usual cheery self. She tried to be nice too much in his book. Alice, niceness and hyper personality came naturally. But on Alex it almost seemed forced.

"So what are you two going to do today?" Alex was happy that she could at least report to Edward later that when she looked in on the couple they both had their clothes on last night. She didn't smell anything that would suggest anything sexual had occurred between them.

"Not sure." Jake sipped on his coffee as he walked back to the table to grab a cinnamon bun.

Sinking his teeth into the warm gooey treat he remained quiet as he enjoyed his breakfast. He hoped that Alex would take the hint that he wasn't interested in talking to her and leave but she just stood off to the side studying him as he ate.

"What?" Jake wiped the icing off of his lips as he frowned at her.

"I miss food." Alex answered.

"Excuse me?" Jake laughs lightly.

"I bet the food in this era is much better than what we were served." Alex explained further.

"Oh. I bet it is too." Jake replied.

Jake was giving himself a refill on his coffee when he heard Nessie crying loudly in the tent. Rushing to her side he saw she was physically fine but she was thrashing about as if she attacking someone in her dream.

Nudging her gently he whispered into her ear.

"Nessie, wake up honey. It's just a bad dream."

Nessie's eyes fluttered as she sucked in a big gulp of air.

"It's okay. It was just a bad dream." Jake's voice eases her fears as she diverted her eyes to look into his.

"Oh Jake! You didn't leave me!" Nessie jumped up and threw her arms around his neck, knocking him off balance as he fell back onto his back with her straddling him.

"Woah! I'm here sweetheart." Jake laughs awkwardly as she continues to sob into his chest.

"Nessie, it was just a bad dream." Jake pulls them both up as he lifts her chin up so he can reassure her he hadn't left her.

"Look at me." Jake wipes away the tears from her face as he smiles tenderly.

"I'm ….God….it was so real." Nessie sobs as she swallows hard.

"I'm sure it was but honey I'm here. I haven't left you." Jake assured her with words.

"It was horrible Jake. I had this dream where you were talking to me one moment and holding me in your arms. You told me you loved me and then the next second you were running away from me. I screamed for you but you ignored me. It felt so real." Nessie hiccupped.

"It was just a dream. I won't ever leave you." Jake rubs her back softly.

"Do you promise?" Nessie couldn't explain it but she didn't believe him. This wasn't the first time she had dreamed this very dream.

"I promise." Jake kisses the tip of her nose as he pulls her off of him.

"Let's go grab something to eat. I'm sure your starving." Jake stands up, giving her his hand so he can help her up. She looks at it for a moment before she accepts it. Leaving the tent together she still couldn't shake just how real the dreamed had been or the significance of how many times she had it. She wasn't like Alice, she didn't get visions but sometimes her dreams did come true. They were never this painful before. Once she dreamed about getting a bike and sure enough a few weeks later, she got a bike. She even dreamed of Alex coming into the family. She didn't see her face exactly but she saw someone new coming to them.

Was this a nightmare or was this a prediction of what lied ahead? She took the coffee Jake had poured for her within her shaky hands. The warmth of the cup helped ease the coldness that had seeped into her soul.

"Jake, we need to ask Carlisle today about our trip." Nessie stated with a serious expression on her face.

"Why today?" Jake asks curiously.

"I just think that it would be wise to do it soon. Please Jake. Please." Nessie's eyes filled with tears again.

"Sure. No problem." Jake placed his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.  
>Silently he hoped that Carlisle would shoot down their request. He still wasn't sure if he was ready to spend some time alone with Nessie. He knew eventually she would want much more from him. When or if he disappointed her things between them could become extremely rocky. So far everything was working out as smoothly as it could go under their circumstances.<p>

He heard his inner wolf warning him, "Don't rock the boat if you don't have too." Silently he agreed with himself that if he could he would try his best to keep Nessie happy anyway he could.


	5. Sometimes Good Luck Isn't What It Seems

Disclaimer: These are Stephanie's characters but I am doing what I please with them.

Beta: Jessipooks/Mist

Rating:M-For later scenes

**A/N: I just want to shout out at DanI aka LuvinJ for staying up late the last few nights helping me figure out just which path to take this story on and to Jessipooks/Mist for helping me with all the serious corrections that were needed for each chpt. I wrote. I love you girls! Couldn't do this or be here with out you! Xoxox**

**Unwavering Chapter 4: Sometimes Good Luck Isn't What It Seems**

Carlisle drove back to the house alone. He was still trying to formulate a plan to help Bella adapt to all the changes. Unlike Edward, he had a bad feeling that if they rushed her back into her old life it might be too overwhelming for her. She would need some physical therapy to help her move, walk and do all the normal things her body hadn't done in the past five years.

When Carlisle arrived at home he found himself overly anxious to tell the family the miraculous news. Bella was finally awake. As he walked through the front door his conscience kicks in reminding him that it might be too soon to reveal it to them. Bella was still weak and wouldn't want visitors barging in on her so soon.

He hadn't been in the house more than five minutes when he heard Jake and Nessie enter the house.

"Don't be hating. I ran on two legs. Fair and square." Jake was teasing Nessie about their ongoing running challenge. Jake could easily beat Nessie as a wolf so she made him race with her in human form so she had a slight advantage. She wasn't as fast as the rest of them but she could hold her own when they sparred.

"It's my birthday Jake you're supposed to let me win." She whines playfully as she smacks his arm.

"Yesterday was your birthday. Today is just a normal day." Jake laughs whole heartedly as she sticks her tongue out at him.

"Hey guys." Carlisle greets them as they enter the kitchen.

"Hey Grandpa." Nessie calls out with a sparkle in her eye. She knows he finds it strange to hear her give him that label. It was the title she was supposed to give him when they were in public. Their story for her was that she was an only grandchild from their daughter who passed away shortly after her birth. The others were his nieces and nephews whose parents were either out of the country or fatally killed in a house fire.

"Did you guys sleep well?" Carlisle studies Jake face. He knew that last night had to be hard on him. It was pretty clear to the rest of the family that Nessie's hormones were kicking in and she was starting to act more and more like a horny teenager. They also knew that Jake was doing everything he could to keep her as innocent as the day she was born. He was proud of Jake for his restraint. He knew it couldn't be easy on him. After all, he was drawn to Nessie by a force that he couldn't control.

"Yes, I did." Nessie stretches her arms above her head letting out a small yawn.

"Sure." Jake bows his head not wanting to look directly at Carlisle. He knows what Nessie has planned and he also knows that Carlisle is going to give them a big fat "no" for an answer.

"Where's Dad?" Nessie knew Edward had gone into town with Carlisle.

"He stayed behind. He wanted to shop for some books." Carlisle lied.

"I swear he is going to go cross eyed if he doesn't slow down on those things." Nessie sighed bitterly. She was frustrated with his attitude of late. She tried to get him to participate more with the rest of the family but he often would choose to stay up in his melancholy state the only one to get him out was Alex. This made Nessie happy and a fan of Alex's. She knew that Jake didn't trust Alex but as far as Nessie could see, Alex was okay in her book. If she could manage to bring out old fussy butt to play monopoly then she had to be pretty awesome.

"So what are your plans for today?" Carlisle was hoping they might be leaving the house for a while so he could discuss Bella's current status with Esme. He knew that Jake's keen sense of hearing was just as good as their own.

"Well, I was hoping to talk to you about something." Nessie's eyes widen as she clasped her hands together in front of her.

Carlisle knew from the look on her face and her mannerisms that Nessie was about to make an enormous request of him.

"I'm all ears." He says.

"Jake and I were talking last night about how we never get to do anything without one or all of you guys right under our butts. I'm older now and I'm definitely able to protect myself. So….we were wondering if we could go somewhere for like …two days or so?" Nessie bit down on the corner of her lip, reminding Carlisle of how her mother often did the exact thing when she was nervous.

"Where exactly?" Carlisle wasn't sure if Jake and Nessie were really ready for some alone time but he would give them the opportunity to be heard.

"Umm…." Nessie looked at Jake for some help.

"We could just drive up to Paniff. They have those great cabins where you can ride motorcycles and go horseback riding." Jake shrugged his shoulder with less enthusiasm as Nessie.

"I don't know." Carlisle knew where the cabins were located. They had all gone there twice since they moved here. Nessie enjoyed all the activities that went with the rustic atmosphere.

"Two days. That's it. Jake and I deserve to feel like we are still individuals and not always glued to this family. We are only three hours away. Come on...if there is an emergency you can get there in like thirty minutes. Pleaseeeee." Nessie pressed her hands together as she pleaded loudly.

"Okay." Carlisle heard himself agreeing to her request. He knew Edward wouldn't be pleased with his decision or not waiting until he returned so they could discuss with him as well. However, under the circumstances, he couldn't see Edward caring as much. He had his hands full now that Bella was awake. She would need a lot of attention plus, there was the factor that with Nessie and Jake being alone together they might bond and that would help keep their imprint stronger between them. Unlike Edward he still wasn't convinced that Jake and Nessie were really imprinted. He knew they were close but the love they shared was more like a love for a sibling and not that over a lover.

"Really! Really Really!" Nessie squealed, jumping up and down.

"Yes." Carlisle smiled brightly at the both of them.

Jake stood there unsure how to respond to Carlisle's answer. Sure, on one hand it was great to get away from them but on the other, he knew that this would mean two days of trying to keep Nessie at arm's length. Even if he wanted to be more intimate with her, could he? He knew how this family adored her and wanted to keep her as much of a child as possible. If they did anything sexually the others would know. He would pay for it. Was it worth all that?

"When do you plan to leave?" Carlisle looks directly at Jake as he waited for his answer.

"Ummm…let me go call and see when a cabin is available." Jake quickly made his way out of the room. He could hear Nessie thanking Carlisle over and over again as he made his way out to the front porch. Calling information he got the number and as he waited for the receptionist to give him the next available cabin and time he felt his stomach twisting like a pretzel. Again, he felt that pending doom sensation. Shaking it off he told himself it was just nerves. He was nervous about being alone again, with Nessie and most of all, he was worried why he wasn't feeling the hormonal rush that the old Jake would have been exploding with.

The receptionist returned to him telling he was lucky, they had a cancellation and they could come today if he was available. Jake wanted to laugh. Lucky? He wasn't sure if luck was really on his side anymore. He was starting to feel like the whole world was working against him. It was as if fate was pushing him hard and fast to speed up things in his relationship with Nessie. Why wasn't he more excited about it? After all, Nessie was the girl who was supposed to be his true soul mate. She was supposed to be his other half. Sure it was awkward that he once changed her diaper, taught her how to ride a bike and scolded her for writing on her bedroom wall with a permanent marker and now he was expected to kiss her but in fact, he was expected to do a lot more with her, physically that is.

Sucking in a large wind of fresh air he agreed they would take the reservation. Putting in his phone back in his pocket he turned to head back to the house to give Nessie her good news when he saw Alice a few feet away from him.

Alice seemed to be just standing on the edge of the tree line looking at him with large doe like eyes. He couldn't shake the feeling that she just had a vision and that vision had something to do with him. He lifted his hand to wave at her. She blinked her eyes a few times then turned around toward the trees and raced into the woods.

"Strange." Jake said out loud.

"What's strange?" Nessie asks as she slips up behind him circling his waist with her arms. Holding onto him she wore a big smile that reached both of her ears.

"Alice. I just saw her. When I waved at her she just raced off into the woods." Jake explained, pulling her arms away from him.

"Oh." Nessie wasn't sure why that was strange but she definitely didn't like the way he was constantly taking her hands off of him. "So, go pack. We got a canceled reservation for tonight and tomorrow night." Jake saw the disappointment in her eyes when he had pulled her away from him.

"Really!" The pain in her blue eyes faded and was replaced with excitement.

"Really. Go." Jake grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back into the house and up the stairs.

"Thanks Jake. I'm glad were able to get away. Maybe now you can breathe again." Nessie smiled tenderly as she flew up the stairs to pack. Jake stood at the bottom of the stairs, he hoped she was right. It had been so long since he felt like he could really breathe.

Esme wasn't too thrilled about Carlisle's decision. She reminded him that Nessie was still very innocent and if anything happened between them then Edward would be furious as hell with the family.

"I know what I am doing." Carlisle laughed nervously.

"Do you? What's this really about?" Esme asks. She was worried about his anxious and almost jumpy like attitude lately. He seemed to be concealing something from her. They never kept secrets from one another before. Why now? What was he trying to protect her from?

"I will tell you later. First let's go get these kids off then you and I will have some alone time and I will tell you everything. I promise." Carlisle kissed her tenderly.

"Okay. But if you don't, I will bug you until you do." Esme pointed her finger at him with a scolding expression before she led them out of the room.

Carlisle knew she meant what she said. When he tried to hide things from her in the past Esme would eventually break him down. He had to share the good news with her but he also had to make her promise him she wouldn't breathe a word to the others until they knew more about Bella's condition.

Edward was pleased to see that Bella was able to pull herself up in the bed. The nurse said she was showing swift signs of recovery. She was still scheduled for physical therapy tomorrow. Bella didn't seem too happy with that fact.

"How is your throat feeling?" Edward hoped she was able to talk now. He had watched over her when she fell back to sleep shortly after he arrived. The nurse said it was normal for her to do so.

"Bet…ter." Bella's eyes exposed the pain it caused her to speak even though she pushed herself to do it. He was proud of her. He knew she would recover quickly. Bella didn't let anything hold her back for long.

"Good. So I heard them say they are ordering you real food today. I bet your stomach will enjoy real nourishment instead of those bags." Edward looked at the IV bags they had taken her off early this morning.

Bella just smiled weakly at him.

The nurse entered the room with some apple sauce, spoon, note pad and a pen.  
>"Here let's see if you can feed yourself." The nurse's says as she pulls the tray over in front of Bella's chest.<p>

Bella seemed happy to be able to do something on her own. After a few minutes of struggling she managed to lift the spoon and dip it into the sauce. When she got the spoon up to her mouth, she opened wide but the strength in her hand let out and the spoon fell on her. Tears instantly sprung into her eyes.

Edward flew to her side. The nurse put her long bony hand in his face.

"NO! She has to learn to do this on her own." The nurse said with a forceful tone that irked Edward until he heard her thoughts.

She can do it. She just needs to try again. I know I would hate it if someone treated me like a baby.

"Sorry." Edward stepped back.

Bella wiped the single tear from the corner of her eye as she made a second attempt to feed herself. She managed this time to get it in her mouth. She smiled at the both of them. She was definitely happier that she had fed herself without any assistance from him or the nurse.

"See." The nurse looked at Edward with a proud smile.

"What's with the paper and pen?" Edward asks curiously.

"Oh. I thought to help her with her hands she could try to write. I can tell that talking hurts her so this will not only help her communicate but it's also therapeutic for her hand muscles." The nurse explains as she sit's the items on the tray.

"Thanks. I'm sure it's bugging her not to be able to respond to my excessive questions." Edward smirk as Bella laugh softly.

"I'm sure it is." The nurse replies. She can't help but wonder why she hadn't seen his face here more often? The dark skinned stranger came more than this pale faced man. It shocked her to learn he was her husband.

"I'm afraid I've been busy at home with our child so I couldn't visit as often as I would have liked." Edward answered before realizing she hadn't said anything out loud.  
>The nurse looked a bit shocked.<p>

"Oh." She said then took the bowl and spoon, making her way out of the room without another word spoken to him.

Bella tried to reach for the pad and pen but it was a little too far for her reach. Edward pushed it to her.

"Sorry. I just didn't want you to strain yourself." Edward caught the frustrated look in her eyes.

"She was wondering why I wasn't here as often as she thought I should have been." Edward answered her question before she had the pen in her hand.

"I think I freaked her out." Edward laughed bitterly.

He honestly didn't like how she was comparing him to Jake. He hadn't been aware of how many visits Jake had made over the past year. He just assumed that he was out running errands all those times that he was gone from the house. It never occurred to him that Jake would stop by here so often.

Bella cocked an eyebrow as she inhaled deeply. She went back to her attempts at writing.  
>Edward stood back, it was killing him not to hear her thoughts. It would make this visit easier on her if her brain was wired right.<p>

She leaned back laying the pen down as she gave Edward permission with her eyes to read what she had managed to write.

Where are we?  
>How was Charlie?<br>Is the baby okay?  
>Is a boy or girl?<br>Where is everyone?

Edward was impressed that she had written so much. It showed her hands were definitely learning to work again.

"We are in Calgary Canada. Carlisle thought it would be best if we got out of the country after your….fake death." Edward gulped hard remembering how hard it was to stand next to her casket and telling himself that she was really not dead just in a deep sleep. It wasn't hard for him to pretend to be grieving for her when it was necessary. Fake grievance was easy compared to the death stare Charlie gave him during the funeral.

It was Charlie's direct thoughts that hurt him the most. He knew that Charlie had never truly approved of him. He had always hoped that Bella's heart would gravitate to Jake and leave him in the dust.

The accident had been set up so that it looked like he had fallen asleep at the wheel. So naturally it made Charlie direct his anger and remorse at Edward.

"Umm…Charlie, well he took it the hardest. Your mother came the day of your …burial. She was pretty messed up. She and Charlie argued a lot." Edward knew this was hurting her but he also knew she would want the truth.

"She left the day after. Charlie….well…he gave up his badge. He told Billy that he couldn't see himself doing something that he didn't love anymore." Edward continued to answer her questions.

"We left two weeks later. Carlisle told them that I was too devastated to be where I was reminded of you. Everyone understood." Edward smiled rudely as he recalled how most of the townsfolk were overjoyed to learn that not only was he leaving but the entire family as well.

Bella's eyes were flooded with tears as her head dropped and her finger tapped harshly on her next question.

"The baby is fine. It's a girl. We named her what you suggested if she was a girl. Renesmee or as we like to refer to her as Nessie. It's just easier. Ja…Jasper calls her messy Nessie." Edward caught himself from revealing that Jake was with them as well. It was actually Jake's nickname for their daughter when she was learning to feed herself. She never left the table without half of her food being thrown around the room.

Bella's tears overflowed, falling from her eyes and sliding down her cheeks.

"I hope you don't mind but I didn't want to leave the dad's out of it so we gave her the middle name of Carlie. Charlie and Carlisle." Edward explains as he smiles proudly.  
>She shook her head in agreement as she covered her face with her hands.<p>

Edward couldn't take it any longer. He stepped over to her side and wrapped his arms around her. His embrace only made her cry harder. Sobbing into his chest he could feel her entire body shake uncontrollably. He felt awful but these were the facts. He had warned her before if she chose to take this path that it would cost her dearly. No matter how many times he fought with her to remain human, to keep her place with her family, she resisted him at every turn. Now all he could do was be there for her.

What was done, was done.

"The others are fine. They don't know about you waking up yet. Carlisle wanted to make sure you were okay and stronger before he informed them. He knows they will overwhelm you, especially Alice. She has been going crazy without you." Edward kissed the top of her head as he felt her chest rumble with what he thought might be laughter.

Pulling back from her, he stared into her tear stained face as she smiled sheepishly. "I love you Bella. I'm so glad you are back in my life. I thought I was going to go insane. You have no idea how lonely I've been." Edward presses his lips against hers. The coolness of his touch causes Bella to cringe.

She wasn't sure why but she just couldn't seem to get adjusted to his cool skin. Maybe it was just a temporary side effect from the serum.

"You should get some rest. I overhead the doctor ordering more tests for today." Edward says.

Bella rolls her eyes playfully but turns over on her side facing the wall as a few more tears slip out of her eyes before she closes them and falls back to sleep.

************************************************************  
>Alice located Jasper with Emmett just as they finished feasting on a bob cat. She knew they had enjoyed the hunt more than the blood. The animal's blood gave them strength but it never truly appeased their appetite the way human blood could.<p>

Jasper could feel her tension from a mile away. She was acting oddly all morning and he hoped that she was ready to tell him what was going on in that cute little head of hers.

"Hey darling." Jasper kisses her on the cheek, her eyes light up.

"Hey." She chirps back.

"I'm heading back." Emmett announces as he races away.

"Why did he leave so fast?" Alice wonders.

"I made him feel a certain way that only Rose can help him with." Jasper admits with a mischievous grin.

"Oh. OHHHh! Gross Jasper!" Alice smacks him on the upper arm.

"Sorry, I just knew you wanted to spend some alone time with me. I just thought I would help us both out." Jasper says with a deep southern tone.

"It's true I want to spend some alone time with you. We…have a problem." Alice sits down on a broken tree trunk as she fidgets nervously with her hands.

"What sort of problem do WE have?" Jasper asks curiously.

"I saw something. Something I didn't want to see. I couldn't stop it. I tried but the vision only grew stronger the more I resisted." Alice sighed loudly.

"What was it about?" Jasper didn't like the fear he heard in her voice. She wasn't the type to get spooked easily.

"At first I just see Bella. Her eyes opening. I was so happy." Alice pauses as her smile weakens.

"Then I see Jake and Nessie. They aren't smiling. They both look so sad. Nessie can't seem to stop crying. Then ….I…." Alice throws her head into Jaspers shoulder trying to fight back her own tears. The vision had been so strong and so vivid she had no doubt that it would come to pass.

"What Alice? Why was Nessie crying? Does something happen to Bella?" Jasper didn't like where this was leading. He knew how the whole family was rooted here in hopes that Bella would finally wake up and they could all move forward with their lives.

"She's different. Not like crazy or vampire different but just ….DIFFERENT." Alice cringes as she allowed the last image that she had seen enter her head once again.

"Explain it to me." Jasper pushes her.

"She doesn't want to be one of us. I tried to see her in the whole vision...you know the one where she and Edward are running in the woods and her face shows the signs of being a vampire like us but this time it was Edward running by himself. There was no Bella." Alice finishes with a loud sob following it.

Jasper felt her pain circling around his heart. Alice had always been so confident in Bella becoming a permanent member of their family. This revelation was heartbreaking for her. She loved Bella with all her heart. They were far closer than her and Rosalie. If Bella didn't become one of them then the question remained what happens to her now? Would she go on being human and die someday as a mortal? Or was Alice warning him that Bella was going to leave the family entirely?

"Honey, I know this is hard on you but why would Jake be in this vision?" Jasper asks.

"Jake is somehow connected to her reason for leaving us. I can't pinpoint the why's and how's. I just know it." Alice answers with a louder sob this time.

"Jake is imprinted with Nessie. Why would he interfere with Bella's choice now? He would want her to remain with us. He is with us now." Jasper was hoping like hell she was misreading this latest vision.

"It's just a gut feeling Jasper. I could be wrong. Right?" Alice looked hopeful but both she and Jasper knew that usually her visions were ninety-nine percent correct.

"Right. Now let's go back. We should tell Carlisle about this vision. He should be prepared." Jasper warns her.

Alice gulps hard.

"What?" Jasper had a bad feeling there was more than Alice wasn't tell him.

"Carlisle knows that Bella is awake. That is where Edward is now. He is going to be so mad at me for not warning him before now. It happened right before the party. I saw her waking up but it wasn't like I had a specific time table of when." Alice's lower lip trembles.

"So you're afraid he is going to be pissed off at you?" Jasper understood her underlying fear now.

"Yeah." Alice nods her head.

"Don't be. I would think he will be just excited that she is awake and he no longer has to endure the guilt he has been carrying around ever since he gave her that drug." Jasper squeezes her hand gently.

"Your right." Alice wiped away the tears, placed her usual cheery smile back on as they walked back to the house together.

*********************************************************  
>Jake and Nessie put their suitcases in the pickup truck when Rose jumped out of nowhere.<br>"Here you might need these." Rose whispered into Jake's ear as she stuck something in his pocket.

Jake frowns as he reaches in to see what she had put in it. He saw the foil paper and cringed. Rose had given him condoms.

"What the hell Rose!" Jake growls lowly so the others can't hear them.

"I'm just giving those to you just in case. We don't want our flower coming back swollen with child like her mother did." Rose winked at him.

"You're such a bitch Rose!" Jake swears.

"No, I'm being practical. No one gave Edward the birds and bee spill so I'm just looking out for you and her this time around. I promised Bella I would keep her safe. I'm just doing my part." Rose shrugs her shoulders unaffected by his name calling and hatred.

"Well, don't worry your pretty head. I have no intentions of having sex with her." Jake snarls as he slams the door shut behind him.

Rose waved at him as she made her way to the others who were still hugging on Nessie like she was going off to college instead of a two day trip.

"Hey. No matter what - remember he is a guy. A very inexperienced guy from what I can tell. So don't blame yourself if things don't go as you planned." Rose gave her a big hug and quick peck on the cheek before releasing her.

"Thanks Aunt Rose." Nessie winked at her then ran to the truck, jumping in next to Jake.  
>Jake could see the family waving at them from the rear view window. Nessie hung out the window waving back at them. They were all over reacting to this trip. This was nothing more than a way to get a few days solace from the usual stench of vampires and the constant eyes.<p>

It dawned on him that Edward was the only one who hadn't been present. Did he even know about the trip? Would this mean when he returned he should expect a big shouting match with the Popsicle?

Nessie put her hand on his knee and suddenly he was less nervous and seriously didn't give a damn about anything he had to face when he returned. For now, they were both getting a chance to escape their cages and have some fun like other people their age often did.


	6. A Cloud of Guilt

Betas: Jessipooks/Mist  
>Rating: M<br>A/N: Maybe this will help you guys with your questions about Alex and who changed her.

Unwavering Chapter Five: A Cloud of Guilt

"Carlisle when do you plan on telling the others? I'm sure they want to see Bella too." Esme cries out happily as she claps her hands.

"I'm giving Edward some time with her today. I think he deserves to have one full day with her, alone." Carlisle replies gently.

"Oh. Well, I guess you're right. I'm just…not sure if I can hide my happiness from them." Esme squeals softly.

"You have too." Carlisle laughed as he pulls his wife into his arms holding her tightly, gently kissing the top of her head.

He was just as excited as she was. Everything seemed to be going well with her condition as per his last conversation with her doctors. They indicated that if she continued to improve she would be released in just a few days if he agreed to help with her therapy.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Esme spoke of her concern that Alice might already know and alert the others

"Wait a second…what about Alice?" Esme looks up at her husband whose eyes darken at the mention of their daughter's name.

"Oh, I'm sure she knows already. I'm just waiting on her to come to me." Carlisle clucks his tongue as he frowned at Esme.

"Why are you mad at Alice?" Esme was confused by his sudden irritation with Alice.

"She knew and didn't tell us. I've been killing myself trying to figure out how to save Bella and she knew all along that it would happen eventually. I was so scared that Bella wouldn't wake up and that Edward and Nessie would blame me for her death . The guilt of it has been eating me alive." Carlisle confesses.

"Maybe she just now saw it? I mean, some of her visions show her things soon to happen and others far down the road. You should give her a chance to explain fully before you thrash her." Esme scolds him kindly.

"I know. I just….I'm so happy she's awake. I feared that I might have accidentally killed her. "Carlisle weeps as Esme pulls him back into her arms.

"Shhh…it's okay honey. She's fine now. Our family is going to be complete again." Esme comforted him with her words. She felt awful not knowing the pain he had suffered for the past five years.

*****************************************************

Bella wished she could get out of the bed. She was feeling jumpy. It felt like her head was exploding from all of the questions that were scrambling around in her head.

She was going to get sick soon if Edward didn't return.

How long had she been out? Something warned her that she had been asleep a lot longer than a couple of weeks. First, Edward kept insisting how lonely he had been without her? It wasn't like they hadn't been apart before. Secondly, he mentioned they only remained in Forks for two weeks after her planned death and third, most importantly, why would she be in a hospital being constantly monitored if she was supposed to wake up shortly after her death?

She had a sinking feeling that something wasn't right. She was going to have to face her demons and just demand to know the truth. She wasn't going to let Edward pussy foot around this issue any longer. She couldn't seem to shake the feeling that she was being kept away from the others for a specific reason.

Edward had informed her the only reason the others weren't here was so that she could have some time to recuperate before they overwhelmed her.

Overwhelm me? When did that ever stop them before? Alice normally wouldn't have listened to Edward's request. She would be here with me, if just for a moment.

Edward entered the room with a suitcase in his hand. His face lit up as he looked at her. She felt her stomach flutter but it wasn't an exciting flutter but more of an apprehensive feeling.

"Hi. You look refreshed. " Edward set everything down on the chair, stepping up to her bed he cups her face with his hands and kisses her long and tenderly on the lips.

Again Bella was struck with the coolness of his lips on hers. It never bothered her before. In fact, it used to be one of the things that excited her. She hoped that this feeling of being repulsed by his touch would go away soon. She had given up her entire past existence to be with her husband. She couldn't go back to Forks or to La Push. She couldn't just step back into her old life when her new one wasn't working for her.

This realization struck her hard. Her chest tightens. Her pulse escalated. Her breathing grew ragged and rough. Closing her eyes, she forced her body to calm down. She couldn't let him see how freaked out she was starting to feel. He would just get frustrated and depressed. She didn't need that at the moment.

"Hi." Bella says, running her fingertips across her cool lips, then dropping her hand to her side.

"What's in there?" Bella licks her lips, trying to put some warmth back in them.

"Ahh…I got you some pajamas. I know how much you hate that outfit." Edward snickers.

"Yes, I do." Bella admits, lifting up the flimsy material, rubbing it between her fingers.

"Then let's get you in something more comfortable and….familiar." Edward turns around to face her with a night gown she had worn the night before their wedding. He remembered how comfortable she had been in this cotton gown versus the silky lingerie that Alice had packed for her during their honeymoon.

"Oh." Bella frowned recalling how Edward had come to her room the night she had worn this gown. She had scolded him about the superstitions of seeing the bride before the wedding. He laughed of course, saying he didn't believe in such things.

"I can help you put it on." Edward offers.

Bella's cheeks burn with embarrassment. She hadn't seen herself naked since the birth. She wasn't sure what lied beneath this ugly gown and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to see with her. She knew that there would be some sort of scaring since Carlisle had to cut the baby out of her or risk dying from it trying to rip her open.

"What's wrong?" Edward caught the blush along with the panic in her eyes.

"It's just…well…I'm sure I look awful." Bella sucked in her breath trying to fight back the tears that had reappeared in her eyes. She was so tired of crying. It seemed since she woke up the urge to cry was nonstop.

"What? I've seen you naked before. Remember?" Edward wiggles his eyebrows. Bella would have normally laughed at that but not now. No, she was still more concerned about her ugliness to laugh.

"I was much more…umm…perfect back then. I'm sure the scar is horrendous." Bella bit down on her lip as she turns her face away from him.

"Honey, I was there when Carlisle cut you. I was also there when we had to cover you back up and prepare your body so it looked like you died in a horrible car accident with me behind the wheel." Edward hoped his bitterness about how he was forced to play a part he hadn't been prepared for wasn't easy to detect.

"I'm sorry about that Edward. I just…can you have the nurse help me? Please." Bella wiped the tears from her face.

"Okay." Edward didn't want to argue further with her. He had waited too damn long for her to be alive again to start off their new life arguing over something this meager.

***********************************************************

Bella was relieved when her nurse Sandy had offered to help her take a bath before they put her in the night gown. An hour later Bella return to her bed, feeling refreshed and comfortable. Her head was less clouded from the pain killers and her throat didn't hurt nearly as much when she spoke. She was starting to feel more and more like her old self.

The nurse took out some lotion from her bed stand and started lathering Bella's arms and hands with it. Bella was instantly hit with a familiar scent.

"Mmm…this is so good. Who brought this for me?" Bella asks curiously as she rubs the creamy lotion on her upper arms and hands.

"Your…well…a friend I guess. A guy who came here often to visit you. I'm embarrassed to say I thought he was your husband." Sandy says off handedly as she puts the lotion back in the drawer.

"Another man besides Edward visited me here? How long have I been here exactly?" Bella's voice crackled as she gripped the sheets, bracing herself for the truth. She knew the nurse had no reason to lie to her.

"Here. Umm…" The nurse was trying to remember when she first arrived. Counting on her fingers the nurse stopped then smiled weakly at her.

"A year and half." Sandy answers.

"A. Year. And. A. Half." Bella cries out with shock.

"Yes. You were transferred here from somewhere else." Sandy wasn't sure why but she was pretty sure that she just screwed up somehow.

"FROM WHERE?" Bella shouts as her hands yank the sheet tightly in her fists.

"I…don't…" Sandy began to stutter when she saw the anger on her patients face.

"Bella. Calm down." Edward stepped into the room glaring at the nurse with piercing eyes.

The nurse gulped hard then fled the room.

"Oh my God! How long have I have been in a coma? Don't lie to me Edward!" Bella shouted as her body shook with anger.

Her eyes were wide with fear, her face pale from shock and her teeth were grinding like a mad woman. Edward knew he had to tell her the truth but this wasn't how he had planned on doing it. He wanted to gradually bring her all the facts. Now he had no choice but to be blunt and honest with her.

"Five years. When you didn't wake up after the first year Carlisle started to panic. He feared he might have given you too much of that serum. We still had hope in your survival. When the second year past we decided it was better if we put you in a facility like this. We hoped that maybe the doctors at one of these hospitals might know something we didn't that would help you." Edward paused as he saw crocodile size tears drop from her eyes onto her lap.

"When we moved, we always made sure we were close to a facility where you could stay. It was hard on all of us Bella. We didn't know what to do." Edward finishes.

"Why…why didn't you guys change me at some point?" Bella thought out loud.

"What? No. There was no way I would allow anyone to do that to you while you were unconscious. You had to give us permission before I would let anyone dare do that to you." Edward answers with a stern look.

"Then what? You were going to just let me lay here rotting away." Bella cried out.

"I don't know Bella. I was taking this one day at a time." Edward responded in defense.

"One day at a time? Years. Years, Edward. I lost years of my life. I'm now ….twenty three years old." Bella ran her hands through her hair, yanking hard on it. The physical pain was more bearable now that the emotional suffering had begun. It reminded her she was still alive.

"Bella, twenty three is still very young." Edward rolled his eyes. He hated the way she always acted as if she was drawing fast to her twilight years of life.

"YOU would say that. What else Edward? What else should I know? Is this why the others aren't here? They are letting you prepare me for what lies outside that door." She pointed at the closed door behind him.

Edward's head dropped as guilt washed over him. He didn't want this day to be like this. He wanted it to be about good times. Happiness and joy. Not anger and shouting.

"Edward!" Bella snapped harshly.

Edward lifted his head, his eyes locked with hers. He couldn't believe that this woman, whom he vowed to love till death do them part looked like a totally different person to him. She was filled with fear and rage and worst of all, she wasn't holding it back. She was thrashing out at him. His Bella would have fought to control herself. She had been so mature like that. Sure, she had shown him that she had some spunk in her but she was never one to go all theatrical.

"Give me a second Bella. I'm trying to do this right. I'm trying so hard to help you." Edward's voice quivered as he reached back in the suitcase pulling out the mini photo albums he brought with him. He handed her the pink one first. He knew that this one contained pictures of Nessie's first year of life.

"What?" Bella stared at the closed album on her lap then up into his face.

"Just look." Edward said evenly.

Bella swallowed the lump that had magically appeared in her throat. She knew in her heart once she flips the cover back she was going to learn about the life that she had lost while she was in her deep sleep of death for the past five years.

Grasping onto all the strength she could muster, she flipped it open. The moment her eyes saw the baby in Edward's arms she knew she needed to prepare her heart for some serious disappointments.

*************************************************  
>Bella closed the album as her heart pounded unmercifully in her chest.<p>

"You said I was only out for five years? How is it that she looks like a teenager? What's wrong with her?" Bella hated to make her daughter sound like some sort of freak but the pictures showed her growing up rapidly. That wasn't natural.

She was a very beautiful child. It occurred to Bella how she looked nothing like her. The shape of her eyes perhaps but the coloring was different. Her golden curled hair and her button like nose was nothing like Bella's.

"We aren't quite sure. When she was first born she communicated with me. Mentally. It was creepy at first. To be able to hear her thoughts and to speak to her mind was seriously bizarre. When she looked like a five year old at the end of her first year, we were all just as stunned as you are." Edward explained.

"We are guessing that she has one or two more birthdays before she reaches her full growth. She is a remarkable girl. She does drink blood like us. She only needs it every few weeks. She never thirsted for human blood either. The entire family was relieved that we weren't going to have to teach her how to control her thirst like the rest of us." Edward says with a prideful tone.

"She's fast and can fight against any of us. However, she eats normal human food and appears just like one. Her heart beats, she breathes air and other than her super powers and need for blood, and she's just as human as you are." Edward continues telling her everything he thought she should know about Nessie.

"This is ….so….weird. She doesn't look like me. A little like you." Bella's brows furl as she tries to think of anyone in her family she might resemble but came up blank.

"I know at first I was a little thrown by her looks but then I found some things I had kept from my past. She is the spitting image of my mother." Edward pulled out his wallet. He took out an old worn black and white picture of a family. Squinting her eyes she saw what she assumed were his parents. It was true, she did strongly resemble his mother.

"Your mother had blue eyes and blonde hair." Bella couldn't tell from the old picture.

"Yes. My father used to tell my mother that her eyes reminded him of the ocean. Nessie's aren't quite as blue." Edward puts the picture back in his wallet.

"She is beautiful. Of course she would be, she is half vampire." Bella leaned back against the pillow, closing her eyes tightly. Her chest ached. She had just seen pictures of her daughter's life unraveling before her own eyes. She had missed out on her entire childhood. She wasn't a baby or a child anymore. She was nearly grown.

She felt cheated and angry. She couldn't be angry at Edward or Carlisle for what she had missed out on. It had been her decision to take the drug. She had no one to blame for what she lost but herself.

"Where is she?" Bella opens her eyes as she stares into Edward's.

"She's home. I wanted you to know about her physical changes before you saw her for the first time. I knew it would be such a shock for you." Edward answers.

"Has she…ever seen me at all?" Bella sobbed. It hurt knowing that while she was in the hospital the rest of the family had been living out their lives. She had lost everything while they had the opportunity to experience the things she had sacrificed her life, her entire existence for. It didn't seem fair.

"Yes. She often came to your room to watch you while you slept. She began to fear that you were going to wake up one day and hate her for being so different. She blamed herself for your condition. It became too unbearable for us to witness. It's the other reason we brought you here." Edward replies.

Bella looks startled by his answer. She summed up that the main reason she was forced to be treated by strangers was so Nessie and the rest of the family could feel more comfortable. She felt confident it would also help ease their guilt if they didn't have to see her every day. It seemed selfish to her. It stung her pride to know that she was looked upon as a burden.

"Bella, I love you. Nessie is going to be so excited to see you. Everyone will be. We have all hoped for this day." Edward patted her hand. Bella pulled away from his touch.  
>She caught the startled look in his eyes.<p>

"Really? Because I feel like maybe I was a burden on you and them." Bella pursed her lips together as her eyes lit up with fire. She wasn't pleased with how easy it was for them to place her alone somewhere so they could go on with their lives. How long would they have left her here? Forever? It sickens her to know that she wasn't important enough to keep closer to them. What would they have done if the Volturi had learned of their scheme? What if they had come after her? No one would have known about the threat until after she was truly dead or worse, changed.

"What? You were never a burden for me." Edward stammered, feeling a surge of anger fill his head.

He knew this would be hard on her to comprehend but he had suffered along with her. He had to sit helpless by her side. This wasn't exactly the most enjoyable experience of his life.

"What else Edward? What else should I be prepared for when we go home?" Bella didn't like surprises.

"Nothing. Well…." He debated on whether to tell her about Jake and Nessie. Seeing how angry and hurt she was already from thinking that they had somehow abandoned her, he didn't want to deal with her reaction to the other important news. Not now. Not tonight.

Once they got home he would surprise her with Jake. Maybe if she was happy to see that she hadn't lost everything from her old life it might actually lift up her spirits. It would be a good surprise.

"Well what?" Bella snaps harshly.

"We have a new family member." Edward starts. He watches her tense up, her hands shaking in her lap.

"Her name is Alexandra. She was changed by Jasper many years ago when he was in Louisiana. She is a really nice person. She changed her eating habits in order to remain with us. She is quite fascinating. I think you will like her a lot." Edward finishes.

"A new family member? Was she supposed to be my replacement as well?" Bella knew her words stung his heart but she didn't care. She wasn't in the mood to try and appease him.

"Never. No one can replace you in my heart. You were all I could think of day and night. I was …pathetic was Emmett's word to describe me. I couldn't enjoy anything I tried to do to keep my mind off of you. I wished and hoped every day that we would receive news of your sudden recovery. Now you're here, awake, alive and healthy. I'm ready to start our forever together."

Bella's eyes soften, her anger simmered. He felt awful when he noticed how blood shot and puffy her eyes were. She had done nothing but cry and get angry since his visit with her.

"I'm sorry Bella. I'm sorry that you lost so much. I never wanted this for you. I used to think how I had cursed you by loving you. Before I came into your life you never had to deal with so much death. I never regretted falling in love with you, I just wished that our love didn't have to cause you so much pain."

Bella knew he meant those words. She knew that he always tended to think that it was all his fault when she got into dangerous situations. It was true that before she moved to Forks, her life was pretty dull. She didn't regret the excitement she had experienced. She just wished that she could have happiness without her life having to be threatened every time she turned around.

There were days she wished she could go back to her old boring life. If it meant that she could live a normal life without the constant worry of being killed, she was often tempted to leave Edward and go back. Of course she never chose that path. It wasn't worth going backwards. She knew too much now. She knew so much more was out in the world. She would never see it the way she once had.

No, she could only go forward now. So, if it meant she had to look behind her, be more cautious and fight like hell to remain alive she was going to do it.

"I love you Edward. I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to marry you. I don't regret having Nessie. I don't regret nearly losing my life to give you a child. I just regret that it took me so damn long to wake up and live again. I just need to ….rest some more." Bella yawns.

"You sure do sleep a lot." Edward teases her.

Bella laughs lightly.

"I will wake up this time." Bella vows.

"I know you will." Edward presses his lips against hers. His tongue darts out trying to gain access. Bella couldn't seem to force her lips apart. Stroking his cold hard face with her hand, pulling her head back she looks into his eyes.

"Night Edward." Bella lays back down, pulling the blanket up over her shoulders. Edward sat in the room until he was positive she had fallen back asleep. Knowing it could be hours before she woke up again, he stepped out of the room and headed to the small park area. Locating a marble picnic table, he settled in on the hard seat.

Staring up at the star filled sky he found himself wondering how Nessie was going to react about all of this. Would she be as happy as he was? Would Nessie finally get the chance to bond with the one woman who had given up her past, her perfect body and the last five years of her life? Then there was Jake. How was he going to handle all of this? It was pretty clear from the Nurse's thoughts that he had been visiting often.

What was going on with Jake? Did he still have feelings for Bella? Was that even possible now that he had imprinted on Nessie? Was Jake a threat to their marriage, to their daughter's heart? He knew of only person who might be able to help him obtain some of the answers to his question. Taking out his cell phone he dialed Alice's number. He was going to have her come and visit with him. He had a strange feeling that she already knew about Bella's unexpected recovery. There wasn't much that Alice missed when she was specifically trying to find something or someone.

**************************************************

"You're going to tell me everything you know." Carlisle points his finger at her as he settles into his seat . Alice was already seated across from his desk

"I saw her waking up a few hours before the party began. I didn't know when it would happen. I was going to tell you later on." Alice replied keeping her eyes diverted from his face.

"What else? What else have you seen Alice? I can see it in your eyes." Carlisle didn't have time to pacify her with twenty one questions. He needed to know what to expect next. His family had already been through enough turmoil and hell the past five years.

"I'm not sure what it means. It was like a jig saw puzzle. Images out of order." Alice answered cautiously.

"Then tell me what you saw and maybe I can help you decipher it." Carlisle demands.

"Jake….Nessie….she is crying. Bella isn't going to become…a vampire. She isn't going to want to change now. I don't know why. I just see her remaining human." Alice rambled out.

"Why was Nessie crying? What was Jake's role in all of it?" Carlisle didn't like what he had heard. He had feared all along that the imprint that Jake and Nessie shared was not as strong as it should be.

"I don't know. See, that is why I haven't said anything yet. I don't want to stir up trouble until I know more." Alice whined.

"You will keep me updated on what you see. I want you to watch Bella closely. Keep looking into her decisions so we can see how it will affect her future. We need to watch her closer than ever. Bella was set on the path to becoming one of us. I can't understand how that has changed." Carlisle orders.

"I will." Alice agrees it didn't make any sense to her either when she first saw it.

"Good. Now, remember don't say a word to anyone about this. Especially not to Edward. It will worry him. He has enough to worry about as it is." Carlisle didn't want to see his son suffer unnecessary.

"I will try my best but you have to remember, he can read my thoughts." Alice reminds him.

"Well, think of other things when he is near." Carlisle states.

"Alright." Alice stands up and flees the room.

Carlisle closes his eyes as he considers what action might be necessary to keep everyone in his family happy. It was funny how one girl had caused so much chaos in the short time they had known her.

****************************************************************  
>Bella look up at the sky. It was a pretty shade of blue with no clouds in sight. She was running through the meadow. Her body seemed to be floating on air. She felt the warm rays of the sun as her skin soaked them up. A soft breeze danced around her. She stopped running and stood very still. Smiling she glanced around the familiar environment. There were so many different flowers spread out in the field. Bright yellows, dark purples, crimson red and many more colors seem to sway with the wind.<br>Looking up and across the meadow she saw a figure walking toward her. Her heart leapt with joy. As he drew closer she thought she saw Edward for a moment but then she realized that his skin would sparkle underneath the sun. No, this person had no shiny specks on him.

Squinting her eyes she saw it was someone else. Someone who meant her no harm. Her eyes widen, her feet itch to run, she could feel her body aching to move and to run straight into his arms.

It was Jake. Her Jacob. He stood a few feet from her and just smiled at her. That adorable smile that always made her knees weak. He looked older and taller, if that was possible. Her arms extended out, offering him to hold her.

His arms reached out for her but neither of them made a move to make full contact. They remained there looking at one another while their bodies ached for the other's touch.

"Jacob, come to me." Bella pleaded.

"I can't. I want to. I just can't." Jacob's smile began to fade, his bright eyes were darkening just as the sky began to do the same. Giant clouds suddenly appeared. Bella looked up and saw the blue was gone now and in its place was a gloom gray color.  
>Looking back at Jake she could see that he was feeling what she felt. Sorrow. Regret. Loss.<p>

"Why? Why can't you come to me?" Bella cried out just as thunder rolled above them.

"It's too late. You were gone too long." Jake answers, his lips pressed firmly together.

"What do you mean I was gone too long? I'm here now. I need you. You need me." Bella shouted as lightning shot across the sky with another loud drumming of thunder.

"You made a choice Bella. You made your choice. I'm now forced to remain behind." Jake answers her as big fat drop of rain splashes on his face.

"I don't understand. What choice? Why can't you be with me now?" Bella shivers as the rain begins to spill heavily down from the sky. They were frozen where they stood as the rain slammed against their bodies.

"You know what choice you made Bella. You said it in this field. You chose who you wanted to be not who you were meant to be." Jake says.

Bella gulps hard as she looks from side to side. She struggled for a moment as memories flooded her mind. The one he had brought up finally surfaced into her head.  
>Edward and her, together in this field. They had set a date for their wedding. She had made the choice that day to be the person she felt she should be instead of the person that everyone else seemed to think she would be someday.<p>

"Where are you going?" Bella ask alarmingly when she saw that Jake could move and he was moving away from her.

"I'm going back, back to her." Jake says sadly as he waves at her before taking another step further from her.

"NO! JAKE COME BACK! DON'T LEAVE ME! JAKE! You promised you would never hurt me." Bella's knees buckled underneath her. Her entire body hurt. Her head, her arms, her legs, and worst of all her heart were shattering in a million pieces.

"I can't lose you." She whispers.

The rain stopped as abruptly as it had begun. Lifting her head she saw someone crossing the meadow. This time fear filled her entire body.

It was the Volturi. They learned of her existence. They knew that they had lied about her death. They would want revenge on her and the entire Cullen family.

"We warned you, the Volturi don't give second chances." Jane shook her head with a look that a mother gives a naughty child.

"I don't care. Kill me. I lost him. I lost everything." Bella shouts angrily as she braces herself for her final face off with death.

"Death would be too easy." Jane laughed loudly.

Bella stood up, looking around the meadow she knew she had a choice to make. She could either sit there and go down without a fight or she could make a run for it. There was always a slim chance that someone might hear her screams for help.

"They don't care anymore. You were just a plaything." Jane says as if she was reading her mind.

"NO I wasn't. I was part of their family." Bella shakes her head. She knew Jane was trying to hurt her.

"Then why isn't Edward here? He's your husband after all." Jane points out.

Bella realizes she's right. Where was Edward? Why hadn't he come for her? He always seem to sense when she was in trouble. She needed him.

"He will be." Bella hoped he would be but deep down she knew the truth. He wasn't coming. None of them were. She was utterly and completely alone this time. Not even Jake and the pack would help her now.

"It's time Bella." Jane hissed as she flew across the field. Bella felt the sting as her teeth sunk into her flesh. The venom in her bite soared through her body. Bella fell to the ground screaming and shaking as the changed began.

"I don't want this. I don't want to be like this." She sobbed as the darkness crept into her soul and her eyes closed shut for the last time.

********************************************

Edward nudged Bella as she wept and thrash about in her bed. He was used to her mumbling in her sleep in the past but at the moment he feared she was having a good old fashion nightmare.

"Bella, honey…it's okay. I'm here." Edward's voice seems to soothe her as she stopped shaking and curled up into a ball.

He couldn't make out most of what she was saying but he was certain he had heard her say Jacob's name. He knew it was petty of him to still be jealous over their shared relationship. Jake was with Nessie now and Bella was his wife. He had nothing to worry about between the two childhood friends.

Taking his phone out he redialed Alice's number, wondering why she wasn't answering it. It wasn't like her to ignore his calls. Was something amiss at home? He hit the "end call" button and dialed Jasper's number. When Jasper finally answered Edward felt a little less anxious.

"Where is Alice? I've been trying to get a hold of her." Edward asks.

"She stepped out with Rose. I think her phone is here actually." Jasper lied.

"Oh. When she gets home have her call me." Edward says.

"Sure." Jasper wanted to ask how Bella was doing but remembered that no one was supposed to know about Alice's vision. They were going to pretend that she didn't even see Bella waking up at all that way it wouldn't lead to other questions.

"Thanks Jasper." Edward hung up the phone. Watching Bella sleep always made him feel a sweet contentment. He had felt the same way when he used to watch Nessie sleep. Like her mother, she too often talked in her sleep. He hoped that Bella and Nessie would have a chance at bonding with one another. He knew it would ease Bella's guilt and suffering if she could just get to know her daughter the way he had.

Nessie's existence in this world gave him the confirmation that he had needed to believe that once and for all he was destined to be with Bella. They would live out their lives together, forever and ever.


	7. Stupid Boy

Beta: Mist/Jessipooks  
>Rating: M<br>A/N: This chpt. Might be difficult due to the Nessie/Jake contact but this is the worsed of it. LOL. It doesn't go any further than this. Xoox

Unwavering Chapter 6: Stupid Boy

They spent their day of freedom riding horses on a snow covered trail, enjoying the majestic scenery along with the fresh air. Jake could feel Nessie's happiness flow into him. She looked brighter somehow. It seemed the sunlight and outdoors was making her skin glow with joy. He knew she wouldn't sparkle up like the rest of them. It was another one of those things they were lucky she wasn't cursed with. They could go anywhere, anytime of the day with out casting any suspicions .

When they returned to the lodge they changed clothes and raced down to the formal dining area. Jake ordered a steak with a bake potato loaded all the way and a side salad so he wouldn't feel so guilty about the lack of vitamins in his diet.

Nessie ordered grilled chicken with steamed rice and vegetables and a side order of French fries. She enjoyed her greasy foods along with her healthy meal.

"Mmm…this is heavenly." Nessie moaned as she shoved a handful of French fries into her mouth.

Jake smiled in agreement as he chewed his juicy steak.

"What are you going to order for dessert?" Nessie's ask with big wide eyes.

"What makes you think I will have room for dessert?" Jake winks at her.

"Hello. We both know you like dessert following a meal like this." Nessie scoffed playfully.

"I was thinking of ordering their death by chocolate." Jake confesses. It was a large slice of chocolate cake with chocolate syrup and a scoop of chocolate ice cream.

"Wow. That is sinful Jake. That's a lot of chocolate." Nessie shook her fork at him.

"Oh really! Let me guess you're going to order the large chocolate sundae, aren't you?" Jake knew her eating habits as well as his own.

Nessie laughed whole heartedly in response.

"Yep with extra nuts." Nessie giggles excitedly.

"Then we are both sinful together." Jake replies.

"We could be." Nessie's voice deepened as her eyes twinkled.

Jake suddenly felt uncomfortable. He had a feeling her thoughts were going in an entirely different direction than his. When they arrived at the lodge, he made sure that the available room had two beds. When they arrived they were informed that the room he had managed to get after a recent cancellation was accidentally given to someone else moments before they arrived. They offered to make amends for their mistake by giving them the honeymoon suite. Nessie was pleased with the change but Jake wasn't.

Jake could just see Rose laughing her ass off about this arrangement. Rose couldn't seem to understand why Jake wasn't rejecting Nessie's advances of moving their relationship into more intimate area. Rose adored Nessie and was willing to do whatever it took to keep her happy. Normally he liked that about Rose. She was someone he could count on to help keep a close eye on Nessie but lately since the two of them teamed up against him, she was no longer his ally but his enemy.

"I noticed that your father wasn't aware of our departure. I keep waiting on him to show up any second, demanding we return home at once." Jake says making facial expressions like Edward.

Nessie laughed loudly.

"Stop it. Your being mean. Dad is just being…a Dad. He is protective, sure, but his heart is in the right place." Nessie said, standing up for her father. She knew that her father could be over bearing and even a bit pretentious at times but he had a heart of gold. He loved her more than anyone and she knew if her life was ever in danger he would stop at nothing to save her.

"I get that. I honestly do and maybe if I was a father I would understand him better but for now, he acts like he is somehow my stepfather and I don't need it." Jake licked the butter from his lips.

When he looked up he caught Nessie staring at his lips with a lustful grin.

"Nessie, what's wrong?" Jake pressed his lips together firmly as he snapped his fingers in front of her face, breaking her away from her sinful thoughts.

"Uh? Oh, I was just thinking I should have ordered a potato." Nessie half lied. She had been imagining herself leaning across the table and licking the butter straight off of his lips.

She knew he wouldn't like hearing her honest thoughts. He didn't want them to go too fast as he put it but at the pace they were going, she would be an old lady before she ever got to second base.

"You can have a bite of mine." Jake offered her as he placed a fork full of potato across the table. Nessie leaned over, opening her mouth wide she pulled the food off of it, licking her lips in an enticing way. Jake gulped hard as he stared for a moment at her mouth as she chewed the food.

He was in trouble. If he was worried about her intents before she just confirmed them with the way she took the food from him.

"What's wrong?" Nessie asks with a coquettish grin.

"Nothing." Jake closed his eyes then opened them. His pulse was racing, his heart hammered against his chest, and he felt a little dizzy. It was strange but he almost felt like he was getting turned on by her. He knew that was impossible. He never felt anything remotely romantic with her before now.

"Are you sure? Your face looks flushed." Nessie dropped her act of seduction as genuine concern came upon her. He didn't look well. She hoped he wasn't coming down sick. She wasn't sure when she would get another chance to be alone with him. She was going to take full advantage of this trip.

"Let's go to the room. Maybe if you laid down you will feel better." Nessie offered putting her napkin on the table.

"I'm fine Nessie. Let's just order dessert." Jake shook his head, forcing his body to heel to his commands. The wolf twitched and scratched at the surface. He knew it was trying to warn him about something. He looked around the room and saw nothing that sent off alarms in his head. He told himself it was just the oddness of Nessie's behavior that was causing such a reaction from his wolf. It knew that Nessie wanted to be seduced and Jake wasn't caving in to her whims. The imprint was supposed to make him do whatever it took to assure her happiness. Tonight he was afraid he wasn't going to oblige the imprint or Nessie with her plans of seduction. No, he was going to bring her back the way he brought her.

***************************************************  
>Nessie insisted that Jake use the bathroom first. She was going to need to spend more time in the bathroom once she got her turn. She had to shave her legs and fix her hair before she would return to the room. She was going to make damn sure that when she reentered their room she was wearing something that Jake couldn't resist. Luckily Rose had taken her on her last shopping trip when they picked up some new lingerie for her. Alice and Alex kept her conservative clothing like her father preferred. She liked shopping with Rose more she understood that she was growing up and wanted to dress like a young woman and not some little girl anymore.<p>

When Jake stepped out wearing his black pajamas pants and a t-shirt she chewed on her lower lip. The man was sexy even in pajamas. She couldn't wait to break down his defenses and get the opportunity to explore his muscular chest and abs with her hands and mouth. For the past year she had felt her hormone levels rising whenever she saw him. She knew it was time to bring them to a new level. She also knew that the imprint that bonded them would eventually force Jake to do her bidding. She just had to find away to get Jake to see that the sooner he gave in, the more pleasurable it would be between them.

They could be the couple that fate had intended them to be all along.

"Be back in a few. Oh, I ordered room service." She calls out to him as she leisurely makes her way to the bathroom with her small duffel bag.

Locking the door behind her, she pulls out everything she would need to make her already perfect body even sexier for Jake. This night was going to be special and if she failed then she had one more night to try. If that also failed then she was going to resort to blackmail and tell him she would tell everyone in the family they made love. She knew he would hate her for doing something so manipulative but he was forcing her to do whatever it took to make him truly and completely hers.

********************************************************

Jake sat on the comfy sofa staring into the fireplace where a small fire was brewing. He was in deep thought about how he was going to make it through the next two days without hurting Nessie's feelings when heard someone at the door.

Opening the door cautiously he remembered that Nessie had ordered room service. The employee pushed the cart into the center of the room. Jake apologized for not having his wallet on him but the gentleman wasn't too concerned about the tip and explained the young lady who ordered already put the tip on her charges.

Jake was surprised to hear Nessie acting so nice and doing something so mature. She was usually the worst about tipping. She would argue that it was a waste of money unless they truly deserved it. He would scold her often about being polite and compassionate toward others. She acted far too superior to other humans. She would laugh and remind him that she was more than a mere human. She had powers. She would live forever. Then it would be up to him to bring her back down to earth and remind her that there was a way to kill vampires and half vampires. He was created to be one of those ways to destroy them. She didn't like that one bit.

Still, it was the truth. His wolf was manifested to protect their people from their dangerous enemies and Vampires were at the top of the list.

Opening the covered tray he found himself staring at oysters, strawberries, and a bottle of expensive champagne. First of all he hated oysters and secondly she was still considered too young to drink alcohol, although sometimes they would allow her a glass of wine or champagne during celebrations. He wondered if this was also part of her scheme to try and seduce him.

Snickering he placed the lid back over everything. Walking to the fireplace he braced his hands on the edge as he dropped his head down and stared into the flames.  
>This was entirely ironic in away. There was a time in his past that he might have done the same exact things that Nessie was doing to try and seduce someone he loved very much. She wasn't here now. She wasn't in that bathroom showering. Instead she was laying in a hospital bed barely clinging to her life.<p>

Nessie was Bella's daughter. She was a special part of Bella. It would be easy to get lost in the dream that when he held Nessie in his arms, he was holding Bella. He couldn't do that to himself or Nessie. It was unfair to pretend that the love that still lived in his heart for Bella could be erased by sleeping with her daughter.

If he was truthful with himself he liked the love that was adhered to his heart. Bella's love. It was still there buried beneath all the love he had for Nessie. It hurt at times. The pain nearly drove him insane a few times through out the years but it was worth it. He never wanted to forget Bella or the innocent love they had found with one another. There had been no magic to bind them, just the most natural and pure love two people could share between themselves.

Nessie was a beautiful young woman. She was unique. Still, he knew what they shared might feel real but there was always a sense of force to it.

He heard the bedroom door creep open. He remained facing the fire, his hands gripping hard on the edge. He knew when he turned around he would see something that was going to be harder to face than anything he had ever come up against before.

*****************************************************

Bella woke up in the middle night. Propping herself up, she looked around the room and found that she was alone again. She was starting to get use to this feeling. Every time she opened her eyes she was reminded of her recent abandonment issues.

Scratching her scalp with both of her hands she fought back the urge to cry. She was going to be okay she told herself. It's not like she hadn't experienced loneliness before. When Edward deserted her she had found a way out of the pit hole of loneliness but of course she had Jake back then to help make it more bearable. He had been her saving grace in those days.

She found herself pulling an image of his face into her mind. Where was he now? Did he find love after her death? Was he finally free to love someone worthy of him? What about the other wolves? Were they happier now that she was gone, along with the Cullen's?

She felt her lips tremble as she thought about the times she had spent with his people and the privilege she had to get to know them each so well. They were good to her despite her friendship with the cold ones, their mortal enemies. They didn't make her feel crazy but they were unsure of her sanity at times.

When she saw Billy in his chair, she found her mind moving to Charlie. The tears were back in her eyes. There was no use fighting them at this point. She knew she had broken his heart. Her father had been so good to her and she had hurt him in the worse way. She died purposely to keep him from ever searching for her. She just hoped that he was better now. She then moved her thoughts to her mother and Phil. Were they still in Florida? Did Phil still make her mother happy? So many questions flooded her head, her heart felt like it was on a roller coaster ride.

She sobbed in her hands as she covered her face. The pain inside was more excruciating than the physical pain. She thought about Nessie, her daughter, the child she gave up her entire life for. When she saw her would it help ease this guilt? Would she finally understand why her life had gone in this direction?

She wanted so badly to talk to someone about how she was feeling. She had to get it out. These emotions made her feel sick inside. She felt like she was drowning in sorrow.  
>She had no one here to talk too. No one who could remotely understand. If Jake was here he would be the ideal person to confide in. She knew she could trust him to keep what she said in confidentiality. He knew the secret about the Cullen family and the existence of the vampire world. He wouldn't think she was crazy. He wouldn't care too much to hear about her love for them either.<p>

Yet, he would listen to her. He would give her his honest advice and he wouldn't judge her for any decision she made. But that was no longer an option. Jake was lost to her forever. Just like in her nightmare, Jake couldn't reach out to her. When she made the choice to die and make the others believe it was for real and forever, she ultimately ended her friendship with her best friend.

Giving birth to Nessie, becoming a vampire and living in the Cullen's world was so much more important then anything else. Now, she was starting to think that perhaps she had been too young to make such a life altering decision after all.

Wiping the tears from her face she felt someone enter the room. She wasn't too surprised to see Edward standing there with a soda in his hand.

"I thought you might be thirsty when you woke up. I know your tired of drinking water. I found your favorite soda." Edward placed the drink in her shaky hands.

"Your shaking. Have you been crying?" Edward set on the edge of the bed. His eyes expressed his deep concern for her.

"Yes and yes. I was just thinking about my parents. I hope they have moved on with their lives. I feel awful now that I put them through hell. I promised Charlie once that I wouldn't ever do that again, but here I am." Bella smacked the bed covering with a harsh bitter laugh.

"Bella, honey what can I do to help you?" Edward wasn't sure how he could comfort her at this point when she had made all these choices on her own. He had warned her a million times that once she had joined the family in every sense that she would be forced to cut off her old life. She wasn't a vampire yet but she wasn't also free to go back home now. How in the world could they explain that she hadn't died after all? It was impossible with out exposing them for what they really were. He didn't trust Charlie enough to keep their secret and it would also just put him in harms way.

"Obviously there isn't anything you can do. I'm just…frustrated." Bella growls as she pulls her hair back over her shoulders.

"Then why ponder on things that you can't change ?" Edward knew she wouldn't like his answer but he had to remind her that it was useless to think about things that were no longer available to her now. She had to move forward with her life.

"I don't know. I guess it's a human thing." Bella shrugged her shoulders laughing sarcastically.

"I guess so." Edward chuckled low.

"Thank you for the drink." Bella opened it and sucked down the familiar tasting liquid. It felt like it had been a lifetime since she drank something so cold and so good to her taste buds.

"I would give you anything, all you have to do is ask." Edward's fingers trailed down the side of her face. Their faces were a mere inch a part as his fingers rolled over her lips, outlining them before he kissed her.

Bella's arms circled around his neck, pulling him closer to her. She needed to feel his love to assure her that she was still alive and that someday she would be able to move past all of this.

He planted kisses along her cheek, then nuzzled her ear. He slipped a hand into the side opening of the sheet and she shivered as his fingers grazed across her ribs.

"I've been wanting to touch you again." He kissed a trailed down her neck.

She clutched his shoulders.

"I can't….I'm not ready." Bella shook her head, fighting back the desire he was creating in her body. She knew he didn't intend on having sex with her in this room but for some bizarre reason she didn't find his attraction to her as endearing as she once did. She was still struggling with so much and his seduction was only reminding her of what had happened the last time she had pushed him into having sex with her.

Laying here five years later, with no past to run to, were the consequences of wanting to make love to him.

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't dare do that with you here." Edward grimaced fighting back his own desire for her.

He had been able to restrain himself for over a hundred years, remaining a virgin until his wedding night with Bella. After their first sexual encounter when he saw the pain he had inflicted on her fragile body he had made the decision to not hurt her like that again but she had pursued him. He had enjoyed it so much he had been willing to take the chance to try it one more time. Now, he had a daughter due to taking the risks to be intimate with his wife. His selfishness had nearly killed his true love.

"I know." Bella felt a moment of guilt for even insinuating such a thing. If Edward was anything, he was definitely a gentleman. He wouldn't dare risk them being exposed in such a private nature.

"Bella, it's going to be hard on you to adjust to our new life but I just hope that you know that my love is and always will be constant." Edward took her hand placing tender kisses along the back of her hand and across her knuckles.

He touched her cheek.

"Your going to be fine Bella. You're one of the strongest people I have ever known."  
>She nodded her head, looking a bit dazed. She wanted to believe him. She knew he believed every word he said but she was starting to think that maybe she wasn't as strong as he believed her to be and she knew the days ahead would either prove him right or wrong.<p>

*************************************************************

Jake took a long deep breathe as he cautiously turned his body to face Nessie. She was standing in the doorway, one arm propped against the side while the other hooked around her waist. Her smile was shaky but confident. She wore a black silk robe that was spread wide open. It was open so that you can easily see the red lacey bra and matching underwear. It was sexy. The outfit accented her perfect curves. Her hair was down in long loose curls the way he had always enjoyed it best.

She looked like a angel. A sexy angel. Her eyes were shining and her lips glossed over in a soft red shade. She would have made any man's blood boil looking like that. Licking his lips, he felt his manhood harden. The loud scream in his head that told him to resist no matter what she said or where she touched him wasn't working like it normally did.

"Say something?" Nessie's voice was commanding but he also heard the fear mixed in it.

"You look breathtaking." Jake decided not to lie to her. She had definitely been blessed with a body that could seduce even a monk into her bed. All those months of working out with Jasper and Emmett to learn self defense had definitely added a few muscles to her already smooth stomach.

"Then why aren't you over here yet?" She curled her finger, beckoning him to come to her.

The wolf in him howled loudly in his head. It wanted to do as she asked. Jake knew that if he caved in to her request there was no going back. He wasn't sure even now when his body was responding to hers that he wanted to go forward with her. Sure, he would love to see what she had to offer but the problem would lie afterwards. She was still the girl he had helped raised from birth. She was still Bella's daughter. It just felt perverse to him.

"Let's have a drink first." Jake hoped he might be able to distract her for awhile with offering her alcohol. No matter how he rejected her she was not going to take it well, which meant that once they returned home, he would get the silent treatment for a few weeks and no doubt a lot of disappointed looks from a few family members.

********************************************************  
>Nessie enjoyed the bubbly drink. Grabbing a strawberry she enjoyed it along with her drink. She wondered why Jake wasn't eating the oysters? She remembered watching a movie where the man ate oysters to keep his arousal up for hours. Didn't Jake need that as well? She was still not too certain about how the whole intercourse thing worked but she really wanted Jake to tutor her in it. She knew her body was developed for it. Why was he still resisting her? The tent in his pants proved he was aroused by her.<p>

"So let me guess... Rose bought you that?" Jake asks casually take a bite out of the strawberry.

"Umm…yes. Do you like it?" Nessie's face grew warm as she caught him struggling not to look directly at her body.

"It's nice. Not sure if it's really you." Jake replied casually.

"Oh? What you don't think I'm old enough to wear this? Perhaps I should have worn my Hello Kittie pjs to seduce you?" Nessie grabbed her glass and gulps down the rest of the champagne. She grabbed the bottle and refilled her glass as her eyes flashed him a challenging look.

"Why do you want to seduce me? What's the rush Nessie?" Jake sat up, propping himself on the palms of his hands as he glared sadly at her.

"Why do we have to go so damn slow? What are you waiting on Jake? Everyone expects us to do it. It's why we imprinted. We belonged together." Nessie cries out as she curls her legs underneath her.

"So you think we should share something so special because it's expected of us? See, that answer shows me just how immature you still are." Jake sighed heavily.

Nessie picked up a strawberry and threw it so hard at him it pelted him in the cheek.

"Ouch Nessie!" Jake shouted as he picked it up and threw it into the fire.

"I'm so damn sick of you calling me immature. I might not be as old as you in years but my body is at the same age as yours." Nessie argued fiercely.

"It is. I agree with you on that. But honey just because my body is built and prepared for sex doesn't mean I want to go out and have sex. Making love to someone is the final step in proving your love and commitment to them." Jake explained his view of the situation.

"So….you don't want to commit to me or prove your love to me?" Nessie looked away. The hurt she felt was showing on her face and she didn't want him to see her like this.

Jake sat up on his knees as he pushed the tray aside. Cupping her face with both of his hands, he force her to look at him.

"I would think that by now I didn't need to prove my love to you. As far as commitment goes, well like you said we are imprinted, can't commit any more than that. I just want you to experience life and become the woman you were meant to be before we share something so special and something we can't ever change." Jake's voice was silky and smooth to her ears.

"Then kiss me Jake. Just kiss me once, that's all I ask." Nessie whimpered as she grabbed his wrists, keeping him from pulling away from her.

Jake felt himself falling backwards in time, remembering when Bella had asked him to do the same thing.

Standing on the mountain top moments before a deadly battle, Bella had given him permission to kiss her. It was in that kiss that Bella discovered that she loved him too. It was also in that kiss that Jake felt twice as sure that they were always intended to be together and Bella just chose to ignore her destiny with him by marrying Edward.

"One kiss." Jake whispers as his tongue moistens his lips. Releasing her face, he pulls her body up so they are eye to eye.

"Yes." She replied, then all restraint was lost for him.

He grabbed the back of her neck to pull her forward, then halted with his mouth less than an inch from hers.

Shit! Shit! This is a bad idea Jake. Stupid, stupid boy.

He swore he wouldn't let things get this far. If he kissed her, he might lose himself in her love. He might actually let go of the tiny speck of love he still carried for her mother in his heart. It would mean that he no longer had any free will of his own. He would be hers forever. No turning back.

Her eyes widen with wonder and anticipation as she stared at his mouth.

He kissed her, releasing all the built up passion that had piled up over the past week and especially tonight when he saw her wearing next to nothing.

She pressed against him, kissing him back, tangling her fingers in his shorten hair. How could he be doomed when she desired him like this? He invaded her mouth further and tasted the sweetness of the strawberries on her tongue. She moaned, sinking deeper into the kiss. His hands smoothed down her back, enjoying the indentation of her spine, the narrowing of her waist and the flaring of her hips.

Opening his eyes he looked into her face but it wasn't Nessie's face he saw. It was Bella's. His heart exploded with bliss. His smile expressed the love he felt for her.

Nessie's eyes opened, looking at him, she saw the kind of love she always knew they could have if he would just let his guard down. Now, she finally got to see what it was like to be looked at by Jake when he truly loved her, the way a man and woman were meant too.

Her body tingled, her head was exploding with possibilities that might follow this kiss.  
>Then as swiftly as the pleasure had filled him, he begun to feel a eerie sensation coursing around his heart.<p>

Bella's face disappeared and now he saw Nessie again. She was glowing. She was staring into his eyes with the same tremendous joy he had felt just moments ago when he saw Bella's face.

His smile dropped like a rock in a pond. He felt awful. What should have been an amazing kiss between him and Nessie, his imprint, had been nothing more than a mirage. He was losing his mind. Why in the world would he see Bella's face now? All these years that he spent with Nessie, not once did he even see a remote likeness between the two women.

He was going crazy. How could he compare a kiss he shared between mother and daughter? He was truly a sick bastard now.

Pulling away from her, he pressed his head against her forehead. He felt her body shudder with pleasure, her breathe was ragged.

"Did you feel it? Did you feel our imprint?" Nessie asks curiously as she moves her head up just enough to look straight into his eyes.

Jake thought very closely about how to respond to that question. He didn't want her to suspect the truth. It wasn't her he thought he was kissing. If she learned of this it would crush her. Nessie had a very fragile heart. She was also temperamental. He didn't want to fight with her any further tonight.

"A little." Jake answer, his voice quaking.

"Really? This being my first kiss and I don't have as much experience as you do, it felt pretty damn terrific to me." Nessie knew in her heart that he didn't experience the same feelings she had. She wondered why the look she had seen had suddenly disappeared? Was it her? Did she do something wrong? Or was it something else entirely? Was he feeling guilty for enjoying their kiss so much?

It was strange that while they were kissing Jake had seemed so into it. When she opened her eyes she had seen a passion that matched her own but then it disappeared. She felt him pull away emotionally. She wasn't sure why but she was almost sure he looked disgusted by her.

"It was a great first kiss." Jake wasn't entirely lying.

"Then why do you look so sad now?" Nessie's brows furrowed together as she looked deeply into his eyes.

"I'm not sad. I'm just….it's late. I'm tired." Jake dropped his arms away from her. Jumping up on his feet he moved to the fireplace, standing so she could only see his backside. His hands gripping into his hips.

"Are you sure that's all there is to it? Why can't you tell me what your thinking Jake? It hurts me when you hold back. " Nessie touched her lips still feeling the warmth he had left them with.

"I don't know Nessie." Jake exhaled loudly.

"Yes, you do. What's wrong Jake? What did I do wrong?" Nessie jumped up on her feet and rushed to him, throwing her arms around his waist. Her face was pressed up against his back as tears rolled down her face.

"You didn't do anything wrong Nessie." Jake sucked in air, trying to keep himself from crying as well.

"Then why do I feel as if I am losing you Jake? Why do I feel so alone?" Nessie bawled louder.

Jake pulled her arms away, turning to face her. He grabbed her shoulders as he looked deep into her eyes.

"I don't know Nessie but I promise you I'm here. You won't ever lose me." Jake vowed embracing her tightly in his arms.

Jake held her in his arms for the rest of the night as she slept peacefully next to him. He tried like hell not to remember the image of Bella's face when he looked at Nessie or the heightened feelings he had experienced when he thought he was kissing her and not Nessie. Why was this happening to him now? Why was he starting to doubt his feelings for Nessie and the whole imprinting thing? He wished like hell he could go home and talk to the council or to Sam.

He needed someone to lessen the burden of all these maddening questions that constantly plagued him. He knew in his heart that Nessie was very special to him. He just didn't feel the passion he felt when he loved Bella.

Even if Bella woke up someday it wasn't like she was going to choose him now. It was too late for that. She was Edward's wife, Nessie's mother and eventually she would become a full pledge member of the Vampire family as one of them. He had to stop these feelings once and for all and if the only way that might be possible was by making love to Nessie, well, he had been through worse things than that.


	8. The Laws of Gravity

Beta: Jessipooks/Mist

Rating: Mature-Due to language and lemons

A/N: I hope this chpt pleases you guys! I worked very hard on it and thanks to LuvinJ (Dani), Jessipooks, and Mist. I hope I made it worthy of you guys! xoxo

Unwavering Chpt. 7: The Laws of Gravity

Jake knew that Nessie was greatly disappointed in their time together. It broke his heart that he was unintentionally causing her pain but he had to be true to himself first. He loved Nessie. She was a very important person in his heart and in his life. He knew now was not the time to prove that to her. At least not in a physical way. He would make it up to her somehow.

On the drive back he couldn't shake the image of Bella's face from his mind. The kiss that he had shared with Nessie had brought back memories that he had managed to burya long time ago**.** However, when he kissed Nessie and he opened his eyes for that one split second, he saw Bella's faceand that familiar feeling of being completely whole and alive was brought forth once felt like the sun was splashing all of its rays directly on his face. He was consumed with so much heat and a vibrant source of love had flowed all over him from head to toe. When he saw Nessie's face appear before him, he had lost all of that and instead he began to experience guilt and heartache**. **He knew it wasn't right for him to be touching Nessie while seeing Bella in his mind.

This imprint wasn't right. When he had gone home to tell the others and his father that he had imprinted on Bella and Edward's half vampire child, he found himself frustrated with their disbelief. He was forced to expose everything that he had seen, felt and heard by opening up his mind, so his brothers could experience his memories and feel the emotions that he had been troubled by.

They agreed it was as close to an imprint as you could get. It was embarrassing for a moment to know that as a born Alpha and sharing the bloodline of many chiefs that his destiny was meant to be with the very enemy that brought out the worst in him.

He had accepted the role of being a wolf. It wasn't the worst thing that could happen to him, **y**et to learn that he was intended to spend an eternity with the Cullen's and to stand by day after day watching Edward and Bella as a married couple had sicken him. He had fallen to his knees before his father and wept like a baby. He swore that fate hated him. How else could you explain the cruel irony of his situation?

Billy had told him to just simply remember who he was and to always honor that by being true to himself. That final piece of advice was what he held onto for the past two days when Nessie cried, pleaded and ached for his touch. He knew it wasn't timeand it wasn't right**.** It was almost like the image of Bella appearing was a warning or a prediction somehow. Somehow he just knew that he had to keep it together and for now be the stronger person in this relationship.

There was no doubt that Nessie and a few other family members would give him a hard time about it but he didn't care. Peer pressure didn't bother him. He knew the difference between right and wrong. If he had made love to Nessie he would have made the wrong choice and he knew it. He had to live with his mistakes not the others.

"Why aren't you pulling into the garage?" Nessie asks as he pulls up to the front of the house.

"I need some more time." Jake answers her. He looks intoher eyes and notices the soft shadows beneath them. He felt a tinge of guilt shoot straight through his heart.

"What do you mean? Are you leaving me?" Nessie cries out frantically.

"No Nessie. I just…want to take a drive for a while. I will be back soon." Jake leans over the seat, takes her hand in hisand gives it a comforting squeeze then plants a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Hurry back. I miss you already." Nessie smiles weakly.

"I know." Jake releases her hand and places it back on the wheel.

Nessie slips out of the truck, grabbing her purse and overnight bag from the back of the truck.

"You better come back Jake." Nessie's eyes glowed with a warning that Jake understood to mean she will do something stupid in order to locate him if he doesn't come back shortly.

"I always do." Jake laughs lightly.

Nessie shuts the door then starts to head up the stairs to the house. Turning back she watches the tail lights of the truck as he flies out of the driveway leaving her behind. . She told him that she couldn't seem to shake this bizarre feeling that they were slowly falling apart and he had laughed at the very ideal. She might have only been in this world for five years but in that short time she had learned that anything could be broken. She knew he would argue with her about the imprint bond that they shared between their souls and how it couldn't be broken but if a heart which had the power of lovecould be shattered, why couldn't an imprint be just as vulnerable?

* * *

><p>The drive to Shadybrook took less time than normal. There was so much on his mind and he just had to hurry and see her face again. He hoped that once he stood by her side that he wouldn't feel so damn frighten and worse, so confused. He would be able to convince his mind that Bella wasn't ever going to love him the way she once did. Maybe seeing her would help him remember why it was important to stay true to his imprint with Nessie.<p>

As much as he loved Bella she had made a lot of choices that had indirectly changed his life forever. She never considered how any of those choices might hurt him.

Bella wasn't a perfect person nor was he but unlike her, he always put her best interests first over his own. No, Bella did mostly what Bella wanted. She defied their love's existence for months. She kept saying that she wasn't feeling anything for him more than friendship yet each time they were near, he could pick up her excitement in her scent and her body movements.

Of course being such a naïve teenager he hadn't understood some of those signs and what they meant until it was too late to convince her that they also could have a shot at a future together. When he saw her on her wedding day he knew that any remote chance of them becoming more than friends had been stolen from him. She was supposed to be the mature one in their relationship, yet she was the one who often made the most spontaneous and dangerous decisions with her life.

It just proved to him that age had nothing to do with one person being more mature than the other. Stepping inside of the familiar scenery of the expensive private care hospital he made his way to her room, ignoring the startled looks that he often received when he visited her. He didn't need the power of mind reading to know they were trying to figure out what role he played in Bella's life. He allowed them to think what they wanted. His name was on the list along with the rest of the family members.

Opening her door he stood in a quiet darken room. His heart raced madly. They always kept the lights on even if only dimmed. Flipping the switch he took in a deep shaky breathe as he stared at the empty bed before him. Shaking his head in disbelief he stepped out of the room to recheck the room number to assure himself that he hadn't gone into the wrong room by mistake.

The room number was correct but the scene before him wasn't.

He started searching the room for any sign that Bella had ever even been here. He knew this was her room. He had been in here nearly every day that he could escape from the Cullen's watchful eyes.

He inhaled sharply as his wolf senses picked up hints of Edward still in the room. Closing his eyes he knew now without a doubt that it was the right room and that for whatever reason Edward had been here recently.

Where was Bella? What had he done to her now?

An unfamiliar employee stepped in the room looking startled at Jake as his eyes brimmed with tears.

"Where is Bella Cullen?" He asks as his voice chokes up.

"Umm…" The employee takes the chart out from the end of the bed and looks over it before her eyes look back up at him.

"I'm so sorry. She's gone." The employee answered with a painful smile.

Jake's fists clench tightly by his sides as he stared at the empty bed for a few moments. He fought back the urge to throw his head back and let out an ear wrenching howl. Every fiber in his body was screaming with grief and anger. He knew he would hurt someone if he stayed for a second more. Storming out of the room he raced past the wide eyed faculty as he jogged back to his truck.

Driving out of the facility his tires squealed loudly. His heart was hammering so hard against his ribs he feared he might not make it far enough away before his wolf would find a way to be released. He couldn't afford to let that happen in the truck. It would cause him to wreck and someone could accidentally get hurt.

A few miles away he pulled over. Jumping out of the truck, he grabbed his head in both of his hands. The pain was so horrible, it was almost blinding him.

"NOOOOO….it can't end like this!" Jake shouts furiously up into the sky as giant tears drop from his eyes to splash on the cold pavement beneath his feet.

Releasing his head, he rushes into the woods as he sets his wolf free not giving a damn if someone came by and stole his truck he had left unlocked. He had to get away and he had to find some kind of peace of mind before he could safely return to the Cullen's household without harming himself or one of them.

* * *

><p>Edward placed Bella in their room immediately from the moment they had stepped into the house. A millisecond had passed before the other family members begin to spill into the room. They were all so happy and excited to see her. Bella tried to pay attention to their conversation but she was wondering where Nessie was? Although she loved the Cullen's she really wanted more than anything to see her daughter. It still hurt her knowing how much she had missed out on raising her only child.<p>

Edward seemed to be on the same wavelength as his wife as he nodded at Emmett to step out of the room with him.

"Where are you going?" Bella asks nervously.

"Going to get you some lunch. I know you will be starving soon. That hospital food they served you was pitiful." Edward jokes as he follows Emmett out of the room.

"Where are Nessie and Jake?" He hisses as they step off the last stair.

"Dude, I thought you knew they went on a romantic getaway. Carlisle gave them permission." Emmett saw the fear in his brother's eyes, laying his hand on his shoulder he gave him a comforting squeeze.

"She will be fine. They are supposed to return today. She is going to be so happy to see Bella alive. Don't let your fears about Jake and Nessie's intimacy bring the rest of us down. Come on bro, today is about celebrating not fighting." Emmett advises him.

Edward hates to admit it but Emmett was right. He would deal with Jake later once he had time to speak to him alone and away from the others. He knew that Jake and Nessie were imprinted but that didn't mean he had the right to defile his daughter's innocence before they were married. He might seem old fashion to the others but he wanted what was best for Nessie. He had made Bella wait for marriage before they shared their love in a physical capacity to keep her soul pure **s**o wouldn't it make sense to the others that he would want the same thing for his daughter?

"Come on let's get that food." Emmett walked toward the kitchen.

Edward took a few steps behind him when he stopped dead in his tracks. He heard Jake's vehicle pull away and he knew that he had to warn them before they came into the house about Bella's presence. He didn't want Jake to do something outrageous, especially not in front of Nessie. He knew that Jake still held some romantic feelings for his wife and he didn't want Nessie to see them. Not yet. He wanted time for Bella and Nessie to bond before mother and daughter learned of their shared love for Jacob Black.

He raced to the door as it was pushed open. When only Nessie entered he was a little relieved and a little disappointed. He saw the pain that she was trying to hide from him the second their eyes locked.

"I know you're probably mad at me." Nessie sighs harshly as she gulps hard with misty eyes.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Edward listened to her thoughts they were filled with sadness.

"I know you didn't want Jake and I to go somewhere alone without you but we needed this break Dad." Nessie drops her bags down rubbing the sides of her thighs nervously that made him wonder if Jake and her had done what he feared the most.

"It's okay Nessie. I'm just glad your home safe. I have great news for you." Edward's face lights up despite reading some of her thoughts that showed him that Nessie was hurting due to Jake's quick departure.

"What?" Nessie chews on the corner of her lip, looking curiously at him.

"Come. I have to show you something." Edward clutches her hands in his as he led her upstairs.

"Dad you're starting to scare me." Her laughter shaky as he rushes them up the stairs, down the hall and straight toward his room.

"Sorry Nessie, I'm just so excited." Edward replies keeping his face forward with him leading her to his room.

Nessie was hit with a rush of shock. A strong scent was all around her in the hallway. It was vaguely familiar to her. She couldn't quite place it until he open**ed** the door to his room. With the door wide opened he pulled Nessie inside with him as the others took a big step back, leaving Bella's view wide open on the bed.

"Nessie, your mother's awake." Edward states the obvious as mother and daughter's eyes are instantly glued at one another.

Bella's mouth drops wide open as Nessie's does the same. One by one each family member makes their way out of the room so that mother and daughter could finally have the reunion they each long for.

"Mom." Nessie shook her head as she forced her brain to believe that the woman in her father's bed was truly her mother. She had hoped and prayed for this moment for the past five years and was starting to think it wasn't ever going to happen and yet here it was, happening for real.

"Renesme." Bella whispered sharing the same disbelieving look in her own eyes.

"Oh! Oh!" Nessie's voice shook as tears poured out of her eyes.

Bella's did the same as she extended her arms out, inviting Nessie to come to her so she could hold her in her arms at last.

Nessie flew across the room jumping on the bed, her arms in a vice grip around her mother's neck as they both wept with joy.

* * *

><p>Edward watched the scene unfold between mother and daughter. His chest filled with pride and joy but he didn't get to enjoy it for long. Alice made a sudden appearance by his side.<p>

"I hate to ruin this but Alex is on her way back from her hunt and I saw her going berserk at the smell of Bella's blood. You guys need to stop her from getting here. Bella doesn't need to be nearly attacked on her first day home." Alice gives him a sympathetic look as he makes his way quickly out of the room grabbing Emmett and Jasper to help him prevent a possible disaster.

It didn't take them long to find Alex. She was rushing around the house like a male dog sniffing the scent of a female in heat. She looked startled to see them. Her eyes now a soft pale gold were hinting to turn back red as she looked at them in frantic daze.

"What is that smell? It smells so damn good." Alex licked her licks.

Jasper understood her frantic state and quickly tried to calm her down.

No one had considered how Alex might be affected by Bella's return. She had been doing so well on animal blood ever since she made the commitment to it. Of course it had been so long since they had the erotic scent of Bella's blood in the house. They had grown immune to her powerful scented blood that it had slipped their minds that an outsider such as Alex would struggle with it.

"Alex. Look at me." Edward shouted as Alex began to growl and hunch down like an animal ready to jump on its prey.

"Grab her Emmett." Edward yells out as Alex starts to try and get past them.

"Jasper do your thing, damn she is strong." Emmett calls out as he catches her arms just in time and holds them tightly behind her back.

"I'm trying." Jasper shouts back but his eyes stay locked with Alex's.

"What's wrong with me?" Alex cries out as her body shudders with pain.

"Look at me Alex. It's not your fault for feeling this way. I forgot how tempting her blood is to outsiders." Edward's voice seemed to soothe her as she stops bucking against Emmett's hard frame.

"Whose blood?" Alex asks.

"Bella's. My wife. She is awake. She is here at the house with us." Edward explains as he watches her expression change from hunger, to anger and then ends with a hint of sadness.

Edward knew she had always hoped deep down thathe would be the one who woke up and saw how well matched they were for one another and the two of them could be the family that Nessie deserved.

"I don't understand. I thought she was in a permanent coma." Alex replies slowly as Jasper's calming affects overpower her hunger at last.

"She isn't. We don't know how it happened but she woke up. That's where I**'ve been** the past two days." Edward explains further as she finally gets a grip on her thoughts.

He hears her thinking that she hoped that he hadn't been able to read her earlier thoughts. She didn't want him to start acting weird around her or be seen as a threat to the family.

"What does this mean?" Alex looks alarmed as she feels Emmett's grip tightening around her.

"It means that if you can't control yourself around Bella you can't stay here." Emmett speaks up. Jasper and Edward look stunned at him. Although he was correct about the matter they were just glad that neither of them had to be the one to break it to her like that. Edward and Jasper had more invested in their friendship with Alex. For Edward, Alex had shown kindness and compassion to Nessie and for Jasper he was Alex's maker.

"Are you serious?" Alex cries out furiously.

"Yes." Edward says firmly.

"Yes." Jasper answers as well.

"What am I supposed to do? I can't help it. I don't want to kill her but…it's so hard." Alex's head drops.

"I know. I know you don't want to feel like this but maybe for now it would be best if you stayed in town for a while until you can get adjusted to her scent." Jasper suggests.

He sees the disappointment cross Edward's face and he hoped his brother only had these feelings for Alex in a friendly manner.

"I have to leave. It's not fair." Alex moans.

"Just for a while." Edward says softly as he lifts her head up, looking deep into her eyes.

"Alex I love her more than anything in this world. I have killed others for trying to harm her. I'd hate to have to take your life but I will for hers." Edward warns her with a sober look.

"We all will." Emmett announces with a colder tone than Edward's.

"I'm sorry but you need to go. We will contact you soon and try to find a way to help you be near her. We don't want you to leave our family entirely. We all care so much about you." Edward states honestly.

"I will take her." Emmett pulls her roughly as he leads her to the garage to grab a vehicle.

"I will go too." Jasper volunteers knowing that it will help him to be near her so that he can keep her calm enough so they can get her safely away in case she picks up Bella's scent again.

"Thanks guys." Edward presses his lips together nodding his head at them both.

"Alex, I'm sorry. I truly am." Edward smiles sadly at her.

She closes her eyes for a moment before she opens them back up and smiles at him.

"I know you're telling the truth." Alex laughs rudely as they push her away.

Edward stood there feeling enormously guilty. He knew that Carlisle had feared she might be growing attached to him but he thought she was just in need of a friend not anything more. However he had heard her thoughts and saw the depth of her feelings for him. He understood she didn't want to truly harm Bella but Bella's unique smell was just too hard for her to resist at the moment.

* * *

><p>It dawn on him halfway home that he had left Nessie behind at the house and she was probably dealing with the news of her mother's death andwould need him. His heart shattered again thinking of her loss. He knew from his own personal experiences how painful it was to lose a parent.<p>

Arriving at the house he braced himself for the worst. He knew the others would be just as drunk in sorrow as he was now. He felt like his legs were made of iron as he slowly made his way in the house.

He didn't see anyone in the main room so he started up the stairs to Nessie's room knowing that she would have probably locked herself in it after receiving the horrible news. He saw Rose whose smile seem**ed** to falter as she look**ed** at him with a puzzled expression.

"Why are you so happy?" He barked.

"Excuse me? Why shouldn't I be happy?" Rose replied with a crooked smile.

"How could you do this to her?" Jake asks.

"Do what? To whom?" Rose shook her head trying to figure out what the hell Jake was pissed off about. She would have thought he would have been jumping up and down to learn about Bella's return to them.

"Nessie. I know why you guys allowed us to leave. You knew all this time. You kept it from her and from me." Jake snorted rudely as his hands curled into fists.

"Look, I just found out today. Edward and Carlisle knew but they didn't tell the rest of us until today." Rose exclaimed.

"Where is Nessie?" Jake rolled his eyes not really trusting anything that came out of her mouth.

"She's in Edward's room." Rose walked briskly by him.

Jake took a few deep breathes before he started walking in that direction.

Jake closed his eyes and warned himself that Nessie was going to be in a horrible state and he needed to help her through this. Together they both could find a way to accept their loss.

Opening the door he heard Nessie's voice but it wasn't sad it was cheerful.

"I always knew someday you would come back to us." Nessie says.

"You did? How?" A female voice answered.

Jake felt something in him break when he thought for one second that he heard Bella's voice speaking to Nessie. First her image and now her voice, this had to be a sure sign he was losing it.

Pushing the door open wider he saw Nessie sitting on the edge of the bed as she faced someone with a genuine smile on her face. Jake couldn't believe how happy she was.

What was wrong with her?

"I just did. I hoped for so long and now you are here." Nessie threw her arms out, pulling her mother in an embrace as Jake nudged the door fully open and saw a female figure in Nessie's arms. The long dark brown hair blocked his view from seeing exactly who it was.

"Nessie?" Jake**'s** voice was soft but tense.

Both women broke away as Nessie looked at him with tears of joy in her eyes and then he looked at the other face and it was then that he felt the earth shake beneath his feet. Taking two steps forward he stopped himself from going any further.

Bella hearts lurched as she heard the familiar voice that she had longed to hear since she woke up. Turning to see the source of that voice she was beyond shocked to see that the voice belonged to none another than Jake himself.

Bella got off of the bed taking a step toward him when she stops as well. They stood there looking at one another with bewildered expressions.

"Is it really you? I thought you were….dead." Jake says ashis body begins to tremble. His eyes looked her over from head to toe and everything he sees tells his brain it's truly her, his Bella.

When he looks back into her face their eyes lock. In that moment, her face lights up, his eyes glow as they both realize that the other isn't a mirage but the real deal.

A gush of air fills the room and circles around them, Bella cries out as she feels something inside of her twist and turn until she is nearly exploding inwardly from the strange warmth engulfs her body and her heart.

Jake see's it and feels entirely the same way. They both run into one another's arms. Holding each other lifts her up off her feet as he twirls her around the room several times before he sets her back down. Holding her face in his hands he stares deeper into her eyes.

"It's really you Bells. You came back to me." He whispers as his lips place tiny kisses all over her face. He couldn't stop touching her. He felt this intense need to hold her, to feel her and to kiss her like never before. He restrained himself remembering he could only kiss her with permission. It was silly but it felt like no time had passed at all between them. In her arms he felt at peace. He was calmer and he felt like laughing hysterically. Seeing her like this was filling that void in his heart that he had carried around like an empty bucket for the past five years.

"You…I didn't know you were here. I…what just happened to us?" Bella asks whimsically as she feels an electric pull between their bodies.

It was intoxicating and exhilarating. She finally felt alive again. In his arms she was reborn. Tiny little orbs of light swirled around them as they bodies molded together and warmth between their bodies intensify into a fiery inferno. Here in Jake's arms she finally felt like she was no longer frozen under a thick sheet of ice. He had thawed out her body, her heart and she felt this magical stream of love flow between her soul and his. All the worries she had carried in her heart over the past two days, simply vanished by his touch.

"I'm not sure but I'm damn glad you felt it too." Jake laughs softly as he strokes the side of her face. Bella turns her face into his hands, appreciating the warmth of them. She had been experiencing so much coldness in the last few days his warmth was such a treat for her.

"Why are you here Jake? I thought…I thought you were told I died?" Bella looks perplexed as she licks her dry lips while her eyes continuously look back and forth between his eyes and lips. She was surprised by her need to feel his lips on her face, the touch of his hands, and the thought that once he let her go she would be totally frozen again.

"I'm here….I…." Jake grew uncomfortable when he found himself remembering Nessie's presences in the room. She had witnessed their reunion and he was pretty damn sure she had just seen what had transpired between them.

He didn't know how to Bella about his connection to her daughter. Releasing her face from his hands, he dropped them to his side as he took a step to the side of Bella. He saw Nessie sitting on the bed watching them both. He saw the bitterness in her smile and he knew she would be barraging him with questions about this later.

"He is here because of me." Nessie grew frustrated when Jake didn't seem too anxious to notify her mother their importance to one another.

She saw the interaction between them and she knew something strong and powerful had just happened between them. She not only saw it but she felt it as well. Her heart had felt like it was being squeezed by a giant hand in her chest. She felt the cool air rush into the room. She felt the electrical sparks that flew around them as they held one another.

She also felt something inside of her break. Was it her heart? She wasn't sure but she was suddenly hit with a nauseated pain in the center of her stomach.

"What?" Bella exclaimed smiling curiously between them as Nessie step up by Jake's side, taking his hand and holding it. Nessie smiled nervously at her mother but when she looked up at Jake, her smile revealed the tenderness she felt for Jake.

Bella took a step back, her chest tightened up, she felt suddenly weak and sick. Jake wasn't saying anything he just stood there with his head lowered. His face no longer beamed with happiness but now seem to wear the mask of a guilty man.

"Jake and I are together. I'm his imprint." Nessie answers proudly as she squeezes Jake's hand hoping for some assistance from him. She wondered why he was acting like it was such a crime to be in love with her **y**et when he was holding her mother in his arms, she had been hit by the realization that he had looked at her like that when they shared their first kiss. Well, he had worn that look for a moment before it had disappeared. Now she was wondering why he seemed to smile at her mother the very same way she had longed for? Was there more to them than just friends?

Her father had only told her that Jake and her mother were childhood friends and that Jake had helped on more than one occasion to keep her mother safe from harm. He never once mentioned that Jake and her mother had possibly been in love. Did they share a**n** intimate history? Was Jake in love with her mother before her?

"No. That's crazy. NOOO." Bella shook her head in denial. She rubbed her temples as a headache rushed up on her. It reminded her of a brain freeze you get from eating too much ice cream too fast.

"Bella I'm…look." Jake tried to reach out to her but Bella moved away from him.

"I can't believe it Jake. I seriously can't believe any of this. Nessie. My daughter." Bella looked at Nessie and felt her heart shatter in a million pieces. All those times she feared Jake would imprint on someone and to learn it was her daughter, her miracle child that was intended to be his imprint this entire time. What did this mean? Why Nessie? Why couldn't it have been a total stranger someone she wouldn't have to see in his arms every day for the rest of her life? This was some sort of cruel joke brought on by fate.

"Mom, what's wrong? Why is she so upset about us?" Nessie demands as she looks deeply concerned at Bella.

"It's a long story Nessie." Jake simply says not wanting to really explain it to her at the moment and definitely not here in front of Bella.

Jake pulled his hand away from Nessie as he grabbed Bella pulling her back into his arms. She tried to resist him. She even begged him to let her go but he wouldn't listen.

"Shhh…it's okay Bells." Jake says soothingly as he hears her sob inaudibly in his arms.

"I can't…it hurts." Bella weeps. She could no longer put up a fight. She wraps her arms back around his neck. Her body was exhausted from the ordeal of returning home. Her head was pounding. Her whole life had just turned upside down in less than five minutes.

When she saw Nessie earlier she honestly felt like her life was going to be better and that any past decisions she made had been the correct ones. Now, she was seriously wondering what would have happened if she hadn't chosen Edward. Would someone else have been his imprint?

Then there was that moment, that moment their eyes had lock and she felt all of those wonderful vibrations coursing through her body. It had been better than sex. What did that mean? Why did she feel safe and warm in his arms? Why didn't she want her own husband anymore the way she seemed to crave Jake's touch?

"Dad." Nessie calls out as Jake and Bella release one another at the same time.

"I see you have learned about Jake living here with us." Edward's smile was crooked and it held just enough contempt to let Bella know he wasn't pleased with her reunion with Jake.

"Yes. Why didn't you tell me about him? About them!" Bella exclaims as she points at Nessie. Her eyes burned with silent fury, warning him that later when they were alone he was going to get a mouthful from her.

"I thought it would be a wonderful surprise for you to learn that Jake is now a part of our family and yours." Edward's replies slowly as he cocks an eyebrow trying not to reveal his own insecurities about their relationship.

"A surprise! Edward you know how much I dislike surprises and this one….well…it's …wrong….just wrong Edward and you know it!" Bella screams at Edward while glaring a loathsome look at him.

"You mean ….wait…" Jake began to recall what Rose had said earlier about Edward and Carlisle knowing for the past two days and the others had just learned about it. He understood now that Rose didn't understand he had found an empty room at the hospital and had jumped to the conclusion Bella had died. Why had they kept him and Nessie away for the past two days? What had been their purpose? Nessie was her daughter. Nessie had deserved to know the moment she woke up just as much as Edward had.

"Yes, Jake we've known for the past two days." Edward read his thoughts and saw the anger boiling inside of him.

"Why wouldn't you guys call and tell Nessie?" Jake growls as he looks at Nessie who isn't sure why he is so upset about it. She was just pleased to be here now, to be with her mother. It didn't really matter about the exact timing of it.

"We wanted to evaluate her condition before we brought her home. She could have easily gone back into the coma, leaving us back where we started from." Edward announced.

"YOU mean that I could have died again?" Bella gasps loudly. She covered her stomach with her hands as the pain grew and felt like a rough edge of a knife scraping her intestines.

"We weren't sure. This serum that Carlisle gave you could have had any number of side effects. It was one of the reasons he wasn't sure if he wanted you to know about its existence but when you kept pushing me and the rest of us about being a vampire he knew we had to do something to keep you human for a little while longer. We had to know you were one hundred percent positive about the change. Then you even admitted to having doubts when you told Carlisle that it might be a good idea to wait until after the baby was born before the change happened. So he gave you the options he had and you chose the one you wanted." Edward's voice was stern but the tenderness in his eyes showed them that he wasn't trying to be harsh with her but simply laying it out for her the way he and the others saw it.

"I know what I chose to do Edward. You don't have to keep throwing it up in my face." Bella says calmly but between clenched teeth as she looked away from them all, turning her back to them.

"Jake, Nessie it's time to go. Bella needs some rest." Edward smiled affectionately at his daughter but when he looked at Jake it was pretty clear that he would be talking to Jake sooner than later.

Nessie stormed out of the room with Jake following right behind her. He knew he had to talk to her but his head was still literally buzzing from the interaction he had with Bella earlier. He didn't want to leave her side. He knew Edward wasn't pleased with her and he also knew that Bella was capable of holding her own against Edward yet the wolf in him seemed to be more concerned about Bella's wealth fare than Nessie's. Why was that?

He suddenly felt as if he was being torn straight down the center. One part of him was greatly concerned about Nessie and how he was going to explain all of this to herand **t**he other part of him didn't care if Nessie got upset but would rather be in that bedroom holding Bella in his arms and telling her that he wouldn't ever leave her side again.

He knew something had happened between himself and Bella that had changed them. He saw it in her eyes, he felt her acceptance in his arms, and above all he had felt as if all the weight of the world had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders.

Jake started after Nessie until he heard Bella's sobs and he knew he was making a big mistake by going back to her room but he couldn't stop himself. He was being pulled like a coin to a magnet. He couldn't resist it. He didn't even want to try if he was honest with himself.

He knocked hard on the door. When Edward opened it his face showed he was clearly displeased with Jake's sudden return.

"Not now Jake. Go check on Nessie. She is your concern, not Bella." Edward emphasized Bella's name as his eyes warned him that now was not the time to get on his last nerve.

"Bella is and always will be my concern Edward." Jake replies as his own eyes warned Edward that he would always be Bella's personal protector.

Edward looks back at Bella who was pacing back and forth with tears pouring out of her eyes.

"Give her time to let all of this sink in Jake. It was hard enough for her to lose out on the past five years of Nessie's life and now to learn that her daughter belongs with you is just…too damn hard. Give her some space." Edward pleaded.

Jake thought about what Edward was saying and hated to admit he was right. Perhaps Bella was just overwhelmed by it all. He knew he was.

"Fine. But if she wants me you better come get me." Jake turns and storms down the hallway in search for Nessie. Edward stood in the doorway of his room wondering what in the hell had happened in the short he time had been gone to prevent Alex from ripping Bella to pieces?


	9. A State of Chaos

Rating: R  
>Beta: JessipooksMist  
>AN: Thanks for joining the group and all of your wonderful support! Sorry for the delay, hoping to get in at least one more chpt. before my surgery next Friday!

Chapter 8: A State of Chaos

Jake found Nessie outside in Esme's flower garden. She had just about every flower you could imagine growing in the mile sized garden. She also had a few statues and benches imported here so that you could sit and look in wonder at the magnificent of all and think peacefully. It was strange how he had found it all rather silly before but now looking at it with a new set of eyes, he found it soothing. Everywhere he looked he saw beautiful colors and the flower scents mixed together were enticing and helped his racing heart slow down to a normal speed as he reached Nessie.

"Nessie." Jake satdown next to her on the marble bench.

"Jake…just leave…please." She mumbled as she wiped away the tears from her face while keeping her face turned away from him.

"I can't. We need to talk." Jake sighs sadly.

Nessie turns her head, glaring at him with two big blue eyes that he once thought were the most incredible eyes he had ever seen but now all he saw was sorrow.

"Talk? It seems a little late for that. I mean, first we go on a romantic trip and you seemed to be fighting with me on every level and then we return home to learn my mother is alive and awake. I was totally excited. I felt like for once, just once Jake, my life was going to be normal. Then you come bursting into the room and throw your arms around her. I saw it Jake. I saw your face." Nessie moans as a wave of pain wrenches in the core of her being.

"I was just in shock Nessie. I thought she was dead. When I left here, I went to check on her and they said she was gone. I thought for sure that Alice had seen her death and that was why Carlisle sent us away." Jake stated with as much honesty as he could. He didn't want to reveal how stark raving mad with grief he was before he return home.

"See, you left me here to go check on her. It's her isn't it? She is the reason you can't seem to love me the way you should." Nessie remarks with a headstrong look.

"What are you talking about?" Jake was stunned that Nessie had concluded so muchin such a short amount of time.

"Look, I get thatI'm young andmuch younger than you two but Jake, I am a woman. I saw the way your face lit up when you held her, the way you kissed her face was …well….it was perfectly clear to me that you love her." Nessie pressed her lips together as tears trickled down her face. It hurt like hell to say those words out loud but it was true.

She wasn't as mature as the others but she could tell when two people loved one another. She had witnessed it a lot. She saw the way Esme and Carlisle looked at one another or the way Alice always seem to be touching Jasper in the most simplest of ways. It was clearer than glass to her that Jake and her mother shared something far deeper and stronger than she had ever had with Jake.

"Yes, I do love her. I've always loved Bella. She was my best friend. She was my first love but she chose your father. She chose to be with a man who would eventually kill her to keep her with him forever. I can't …I…had no choice but to let her go." Jake looked down at his hands as he wrung them nervously between his legs.

"So you're saying that if she had chosen you instead of my father, you would be with her now instead of me?" Nessie's voice cracked as she sucked in gulps of air. The tightness in her chest was warning her that she was close to having an anxiety attack.

"I don't know." Jake shrugged his shoulders snickering under his breath. He didn't see how answering this question would change their situation. Bella did choose Edward and they had Nessie and now he was with Nessieso what difference did it make? None.

"Yes, you do." Nessie stood up, walking a few steps away as she lifted her headto look up at the sky. She couldn't explain it to Jake or to herself but she felt different somehow. Could it be from the knowledge that Jake had shared a history with her mother that now made her look at Jake differently?

She couldn't place it but she was pretty sure that whatever happened in that room with her mother had somehow altered what she had with Jake. Looking at him now, his appearance had changed somehow. He was still his usual handsome, charming and sweet self but something was missing. It almost appeared as if he had aged in the last hour.

She didn't feel as close to him either. There was like this chunk of her heart that was missing. It was like a barrier had magically appeared between them. She wasn't even sure what he was feeling. Before she couldn't read his thoughts but she was pretty good at picking up on his feelings. So what was wrong with her?

"What difference would it make? You and I are together now, she and Edward are married. We can't undo the past Nessie. I'm sorry for not telling you more about me and your mother. It just didn't seem appropriate when you were growing up. Now you're nearly grown and I hope you can see why I didn't tell you before now." Jake says with an apologetic smile.

"I get it. It's not exactly something every girl wants to know about. I mean, you were with my MOTHER. Yuck." Nessie snaps bitterly.

Jake laughs softly understanding her awkward feelings about him and Bella. Hell, he had been dealing with those same feelings toward her as Bella's daughter.

"So did you and my mother have sex?" Nessie knew it was inappropriate to ask but she wasn't going to walk on egg shells about the subject. If she and Jake were going to have a future, she needed to know all about his past.

"What!" Jake exclaims as he stands up frowning at her.

"Did you? I need to know if you slept with my mother. I don't want to think about you comparing the two of us." Nessie answered, putting her hands on her hip as she gave him a headstrong glare.

"First of all, I haven't been with your mother like that and secondly, I would never compare you two anyway. It's just too…well…perverted." Jake scoffs, running his hands through his hair as he felt sickened by the very thought.

"Did you kiss her?" Nessie knew in her heart they had. She had seen the way they had both been so comfortable in each other's arms. If they hadn't been lovers then they hadto at least kiss.

"Yes." Jake nodded his head trying to fight back the memory of his first kiss with Bella. It hadn't turned out so well but the second kiss had been extraordinary.

"I see." Nessie wanted to scream and kick something. Earlier when she saw Jake kissing her mother, she had seen the same look on his face when they had kissed. Although their kiss had been more passionate she had a disturbing feeling that it wasn't her he had been kissing in that lodge but the memory of her mother.

"What?" Jake asks.

"I need some space Jake. I'm okay just …go. Please. I have a lot to think about." Nessie rubbed her aching forehead.

"Nessie, I didn't mean to hurt you." Jake reaches out for her but Nessie pulls away from his touch.

"I know you didn't." Nessie looks at his hand as if it was a torch threatening to burn her skin.

"Okay. I'm going to go for a run. I will be back soon." Jake informs her.

Nessie nods her head and continues to walk through the garden alone with her thoughts. She wanted to believe Jake. He seemed pretty confident that what he had shared with her mother was over now and that she would remain faithful to her father yet, she couldn't get the image of his face as he placed innocent kisses on her mother's face. They had something really special, something she would kill to have with Jake.

How was it that no one in the family had ever mentioned their shared past before? They all acted as Jake was just a friend. Someone her mother had spent time with, shared secrets with and could count on. Not once was it ever presented to her that her father and Jake had both been madly in love with the same woman.

_Who am I kidding? They still are in love with the same woman. I saw it. I saw and I felt the connection. Jake looked at her the way a man looks at the woman he loves with all of his heart. How is that possible? If Jake is my imprint how can he love my mother like that? _

_How was this possible? The room had felt so intense, the air had felt almost electrical when they saw one another. The way Jake's eyes lit up and the easy way he had thrown his arms around my mother, looked so natural. He never acts that relaxed with me. Especially not with physical contact. _

_If I didn't know better I would have thought they had just imprinted or were imprints. But that isn't possible. There can only be one imprint and that's me. Right? _

_I saw them together I didn't feel joy or happiness or even worse jealousy. I just felt ….dead__and numb. Shouldn't I have been more upset about it? What does all of this mean? Were my dreams warning me about this day? Did I just lose Jake to my mother? Oh God this is freaking weird to be even thinking about. _

"_Come on Nessie be honest with yourself. You know what you just saw in that room was much more than a simple reunion between two old friends. It was far more complex. _

_You even felt something slowly die inside of you. Like your heart knows something that your brain just hasn't either accepted or even understands." _

_When I looked at Jake I didn't feel that sexual longing, that pull that made me want to climb all over him and just ravish his body. No, instead I saw a man. A simple man who I love so much but that extra something wasn't there now. _

_Did our imprint break? Was that why Jake couldn't make love to me at the lodge? He no longer felt that pull for me? Did we lose our magic? Oh God! _

_Who could I possibly talk to this about? I don't want to start up drama now that my mother is alive and everyone is so happy and relieved she is alive. If I went around telling them what I suspect happened, it would create chaos. _

_I can't pretend around them. Dad can read my thoughts and he will see through me even if I try to block him out. Jasper will pick up on my fears. The only one who I could possibly confide in would be Alice. She could help me by looking into my future and telling me what she saw so far. She would know if Jake and I were still imprints or not before I made the mistake of accusing my mother of stealing the only man I ever wanted to love. _

Her body began to shiver, wrapping her arms around her chest she looked around to see where she had managed to wander to. Nessie had been so busy thinking and walking she hadn't paid any attention to where she was really going. She saw the water fountain that clued her that she was at the end of the garden area.

Nessie sat on the edge of the fountain, dipping her fingers in the cool, clear water. Tears trickle out of the corners of her eyes. She couldn't explain it but the warmth that use to fill her up with love and security felt as if ithad blown out. She felt almost hollow inside.

A cool sweet scented breeze of air wrapped around her as more tears escaped from her eyes.

She didn't really need to ask Alice about her future, because deep down she already knew that her imprint with Jake was either tearing away or broken completely. There was no real doubts in her mind that her mother and Jake had something far more special than she was ever going to have with Jake, imprint or not.

* * *

><p>Bella stood in the center of the room glaring at Edward with a pair of eyes that held a mixture of pain and anger in them.<p>

"Look, I'm sorry you had to learn about Jake and Nessie's relationship this way but honestly it doesn't change anything. Nessie is still your daughter. Jake will still be your best friend. I'm still your husband. If you look at it from my point of view**, **you will see that it's actually a win-win for you. You finally get all of us together as one big family." Edward stroked her arm soothingly as he pressed his forehead against hers.

Bella pulled away from himand turned her back towards him.

"It's not that simple Edward." Bella mumbled as she chewed on her lower lip, looking around the room with heated tears in her eyes.

"Why not?" Edward asks softly.

"It's just not!" Bella cries out. She walks to the large window where she places her head against the cool window pane. She felt her heart literally pounding in her chest. She wasn't sure if she was capable of thinking straight at the moment. Her body was in shock. Everything that had just happened between seeing her daughter for the first time, seeing Jake and then the whole spectacular experience she had felt between her and Jake had just put her brain in overload.

"Bella, you should rest. I will go get that lunch for you." Edward sighed loudly.

"What happened to that lunch? You were gone a long time." Bella realized that Edward had left the room in the first place to get her something to eat. He was gone for quite a while before he interrupted her reunion with Jake.

"We…well…Alice had a vision." Edward pressed his lips together wondering how much he should tell her at the moment. He knew that Bella hated when he kept secrets from her. He had already pissed her off by withholding the truth about Nessie and Jake from her. He wasn't sure if he could afford to push his luck by trying to hide Alex's possible threat to her.

"About what?" Bella turned toward him, her brows burrowed together with curiosity.

"Alex. She was gone on a hunt when you arrived home. When she returned she picked up your scent. She was going crazy from it. We had forgotten how your blood drives outsiders crazy." Edward paused for a moment as Bella's eyes widen with fear.

"Emmett and Jasper took her away. She won't be allowed to come back until she is able to deal with your scent the way we have." Edward announces firmly.

"Oh great! Your latest member wants to kill me. This is just great!" Bella throws her arms up and down in the air, while stomping her feet.

"Bella, calm down." Edward was blown away by her childish behavior.

"NO! I'm not fucking calming down for you or anyone else! I'm so sick of having to hide from someone or something! I'm awake at last. I've lost too much time already! I refuse to be hunted like an animal again!" Bella screams furiously at him. Her hands balled up into fists by her side, she was tempted to smack Edward.

She was tired of all the damn drama that came with being a part of this family. Excitement was fun and a little danger was intoxicating but having your life in constant peril just sucked! She wasn't going to run or hide anymore. She had gone through too damn much to back down and hide under a rock for the rest of her life.

"Bella." Edward cried out with a disgusted look on his face. He couldn't believe the language she was using or her odd behavior. He couldn't help but wondering if the serum was still affecting Bella somehow?

"Stop it Edward. Stop standing there acting all noble and mature. My life is falling apart. I haven't been awake for more than three days and you have held things back from me. My best friend is screwing my daughter and your new best friend wants to suck the life out of me! I have a right to be pissed off at you and the whole fucking world, if I want to." She shouted loudly as she stomp passed him and ran down the stairs. She knew that everyone in the house had heard her and she just didn't give a damn anymore.

She felt like she couldn't breathe, she had to get out of the house. Her legs were still sore and weak but she wasn't going to let that stop her from leaving the house.

"Bella! Your body isn't ready for all of this. You need to rest." Edward spoke gently as he appeared by her side.

"I've rested for FIVE years Edward. I will be back. Just give me some time, please." Bella's face softens when she saw the heartbreaking look on his face.

"Fine. I will give you twenty minutes then I'm coming to get you." Edward warned as he pressed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

Bella nodded in agreement before walking away. She wasn't sure where she was going and knew nothing of this area but she knew if she got lost they'd find her.

She touched the spot that Edward had touched with his lips. It was icy cold. Trembling she found herself wishing that Jake was here to warm her back up. She hadn't really felt alive since she woke up until Jake held her in his arms.

She smiled thinking about the wonderful feelings she had felt in Jake's arms. It was strange but she always knew on some level that when Jake held her, they shared something magical together but this time it was ten times more intense. She had been so excited to see him but then when it was announced about him and Nessie's relationship she felt all that wonderful warmth disappear in her heart.

How could this have happened to them? She wondered how Jake had managed to leave his family and friends to be with Nessie? It had to be because he was imprinted with Nessie, so where she went he had to follow. Sadly, Bella had to fake her own death so the Cullen's could leave town which meant that Nessie had to leave also. Poor Jake was forced to give up everything he knew and loved to be with Nessie.

She couldn't understand why Jake would want to see her at all. When she gave birth to Nessie she had not only altered her own life but unintentionally Jake's as well. When the Cullen's departed Forks he had no choice but to go also. His imprint with Nessie required him to be near her all the time.

She thought Jake would've been left behind. Deep down she had even hoped that once he got past grieving her death he would be allow himself to find the perfect girl for him. Not once did she ever consider the possibility that his perfect girl would ultimately be the child she birth. It was just so morbid and so freaking unfair.

She kept walking, watching each step she took. She didn't want to fall and hurt herself. Her lungs hurt from all the heavy breathing from her earlier outburst. Her head had a small pounding ache in the back of it. She already felt miserable enough without adding injury to the list. She found a decent log to sit on. She looked around while pressing her hands together in between her legs.

She wasn't one to normally ever look back and wish she could change things but today she did. She wished she could go back, back home. She missed the familiar scenery, the comforting faces of people who loved her, and most of all, the sound of her father's voice.

It was too late now. Her head dropped as tears trickle down her face and splattered onto her lap. She was going to have to accept what was already done. She knew it was her fault she was here. She knew she couldn't blame Edward for any of this. He was the one who had tried so badly to get her to let Carlisle terminate her pregnancy so that her life wouldn't be in jeopardy. He wasn't the one who agreed to the serum, she had. This whole damn disaster was ultimately all her fault.

Covering her face with her hands, she sobbed softly as she realized that this horrible and painful situation she was now in was completely her fault. She had made her own bed and now she was forced to lie in it.

* * *

><p>Jake had been running in the woods trying to clear his mind but failing miserably<span>.<span> He couldn't shake the strong feeling that he had to get back to Bella. He knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able to keep himself under control.

Everything had become so much clearer in her arms. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had imprinted with Bella. He knew it was impossible because he had already shared that once in a lifetime experience with Nessie. So what hewas feeling was just the left over from his love for Bella before Nessie existed. It had to be. Not once had he ever heard of an imprint breaking and starting up with another person.

Then again, he realized there were many stories and legends he wasn't privy to. The tribal council only shared with them what they needed to know. They didn't exactly give them a handbook with all the rules and history of wolves before them. He wondered if such a book existed? If it did, how could he get his hands on such a valuable thing like that?

Phasing back into human form he grabbed the bag tied to his ankle and put his clothes back on. Being in wolf normally helped calm him when he was confused or upset. Today it wasn't helping him. Today, it seemed even his wolf was just as confused as his human side.

Jake looked up at the towering trees and wondered why he wasn't feeling anxious to get back to Nessie? Normally if he was gone for more than a hour he would start to worry unnecessarily about her. Not today. In fact, when he found her in the garden earlier, he had noted how different she looked to him. She was the same Nessie he watched grown up, the same girl he had helped raise into the wonderful young woman she was now. Yet something deep, deep inside of him hadn't recognized that Nessie as his true love.

It was weird to him how Nessie had seen through him when it came to his love for her mother. She wasn't naïve but she wasn't very experienced with relationships either. So if she had seen what he had felt when he and Bella had the most amazing reunion ever, was it possible that something magical had really occurred?

Growling under his breath, running his hands through his hair with a frustrated sigh, he knew there was only one way to find out if it was true. He had to see Bella again but this time he had to do it alone. He couldn't afford to let anyone else witness what might have happened between them. It would turn this family upside down. They had accepted Jake into their lives because he was Nessie's imprint. They understood and respected his bond with her. He had a bad feeling they wouldn't be so gracious toward him if they discovered that he had somehow broken the imprint between him and Nessie and in some miraculous way had imprinted now with Bella.

Everyone in this family adored Bella. They even found her to be noble for sacrificing her life to give them Nessie. They were longing for the day that she would make the change and they were guaranteed to have her in their lives forever. Jake wasn't too happy about that part but he did appreciate the way they had been so loyal and protective for all of these years.

If she had chosen him and they had stayed in La Push, he was sure that his own pack and tribe would have given her the same admiration and loyalty. Sadly, that wasn't ever going to happen. Bella was supposed to be dead. There was no way to go back home and try to give Charlie a reasonable excuse for him running away and Bella returning from the dead. Charlie had always suspected something wasn't right about Edward and the Cullen family but he couldn't ever find anything to prove his fears.

He laughed inwardly thinking about Charlie's reaction if he had discovered the truth somehow. He wondered which would have shocked Charlie more, the vampires or the wolves?

He felt himself being pulled, literally pulled. He wondered what was going on inside of him that was urging him to run. His legs began to move without his consent. He looked around wondering if his wolf was warning him that there was danger nearby. He sniffed the air but didn't pick up any vampires in the area but he did pick up a familiar scent. It was like vanilla and strawberries combined. He choked on air as it hit him that this incredibly sweet and warm scent was that of Bella's.

Why was she out here alone? He didn't pick up Edward's scent at all. Something was wrong. Very wrong. He pickup his pace to get to her faster. His heart raced, his blood boiled and all he could think about was how peaceful he would feel once he saw her with his own two eyes again.

Jake stops running a few feet away from Bella. He watched as she cried privately. He wasn't sure if he should intrude on her private moment. It surprised him to see her alone. He scanned the surrounding area and was excited to learn no one had followed her.

* * *

><p>Bella wiped away the tears as she looked nervously around her. Jake wondered if she had somehow picked up on his closeness to her. Was that even possible? He was extremely quiet and could sneak up on any animal, even a rabbit.<p>

Bella stood up scanning the woods. She knew someone was out there, someone was watching her. She wasn't scared but more curious about the "who" part of it.

"Bella." Jake's voice called to her as she made a full circle and saw Jake several feet away from her.

Bella's face lit up like the fourth of July. She was so relieved it was him.

"Jake." Bella called back.

Jake took several big steps that separated them until he was within touching distance.

"Hey beautiful. I'm surprised they let such a fragile thing like you out here alone." Jake says with a smile, a first real smile in ages.

"They didn't have a choice." Bella answers with a crooked grin reminding him she could be quite stubborn when her heart was set on something.

"I see." Jake chuckle softly.

Seconds of awkward quietness followed. Neither of them knew how to tell the other what they were thinking or feeling.

"Jake, I…." Bella began.

"Bella, I…" Jake also began at the same time.

Looking into each other's eyes, they both burst out laughingwhich definitely helped ease the tension.

"Bella, I'm sorry that Edward didn't warn you about Nessie and I." Jake started while Bella recovered her composure.

"I know. It wasn't exactly your place to tell me. He had plenty of time to give me the heads up but he didn't. He didn't even tell me you were here." Bella explained as she licked her lips, while wringing her hands nervously in front of her chest.

"I guess seeing me was just as much of a shock for you as it was for me. He didn't tell us youwere awake. Apparently him and Carlisle had kept it a secret from the rest of us." Jake frowned followed with an aggravated snarl.

"Yes, it was. I think Edward and Carlisle were just concerned that I might not make a full recovery. Of course they didn't even mention that fact to me either." Bella explained mimicking his snarl.

Jake laughed loud and whole heartedly.

"What's so funny?" Bella demanded as she smacked him playfully on the arm.

"You." Jake chuckled as he continued to smile at her.

"Me? Why am I so funny?" Bella frowns.

"I can see that it still rubs you the wrong way when you're not informed about everything." He answers.

"Well, it's my health, my body so I think I deserved to know if I could possibly die for REAL this time." Bella huffs, burying her hands in her front pockets of her jeans.

"You're not going to die. I won't let that happen …again." Jake's eye brow curls up as his voice tenses up.

"I'm so sorry Jake for hurting you like that. I just thought that it would make things easier on everyone I loved if they believed I was dead rather than knowing that I had been turned into a vampire." Bella answers with a somber tone.

"You're not a vampire. You're human just like me. Your heart stills beats, you still need air to breathe, and your body still needs warmth." Jake's voice was husky as he reached out holding both of her shoulders in his hands.

"I do." Bella agreed.

"God I've missed you so much." Jake confesses as he pulls her up against him.

"Can you forgive me for what I've done to you?" Bella looks up at him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"What do you mean?" Jake had a feeling she wasn't just speaking about her faking her death.

"If I hadn't married Edward he wouldn't have ever succumb to me. I wanted to have sex while I was human. I wanted to experience passion while my heart could still beat. Edward was very adamant about not having sex until marriage. Then I got pregnant. That pregnancy created your imprint. You had to give up so much because I had to have sex with Edward." Bella's head drop. The damn inside had broken and the flood gates began to release all the pent up tears that she had inside of her.

"Shhh….it's going to be okay Bella. I promise." Jake pulled her into his arms. Quietly they stood with his arms wrapped around her, while she sobbed loudly into his chest. Jake kissed her head while a few tears of his own managed to slip from his eyes.

Pulling her back enough so he could look into her face, he found the strength to forgive her.

"You're forgiven Bella. I won't lie and say that I was proud to call you a friend when I discovered what you had purposely put your life on the line for your unborn child. Especially when that child could become a potential threat to my pack. Then when this imprint or whatever it was happened, I was even more disgusted by what you had done to me, to you, to us. It was crazy for a while after we first moved away. I felt so alone. You were in that damn coma so I couldn't lash out at you. Well, I did but you didn't respond." Jake sighed heavily as he released all the pain he had held on for years since she first went into the coma.

"You must have been so miserable." Bella cried out sorrowfully

"I was but Nessie kept me pretty occupied. I was given the responsibility of helping to protect her and teach her everything I knew. She gave me a run for my money a few times." Jake snickered recalling how mischievous she had been during her first two years.

"Do you love her Jake? Is she the perfect woman for you?" Bella's voice trembled and shook as she finally asked the question that had been eating at her soul since she learned about their imprint.

"I love her." Jake sighed sadly as his hands fell from her shoulders.

"Are you in love with her?" Bella braced herself for the truth.

She remembered how Jake once explained that an imprint was someone that you couldn't resist no matter how hard you tried. He wouldn't be able to love or want anyone but his imprint. Even back then she had been slightly jealous of the possibility that someone out there would be that special person who would get Jake's heart and devotion. Bella knew the imprint could force Jake to end their friendship if she deemed it so. This made her secretly hate the whole idea of an imprint in the first place. It seemed unfair to Jake that fate got to choose who he should love instead of who he wanted to love.

"No. I honestly don't feel the way a man should for a woman that he is supposed to be madly in love with. When I look at her, I only see the child I helped raised. I know it kills her that I can't returnthose feelings for her. It's sort of ironic isn't it? I mean, for years I wanted you to love me back the way I loved you. You refused to acknowledge that our love went any further than friendship. Now here I am feeling awful that I can't feel enough for Nessie." Jake locked his fingers together, putting his hands behind his neck as he studied her face closely. He could tell that Bella understood the position he was in with Nessie. He just hoped she would believe him when and if he was right about all of this, that Nessie was no longer his imprint. It was Bella. It had always been Bella. It's just that before he phased he was already in love with her, so the imprint wasn't really noticeable because his feelings hadn't changed.

Unlike his brothers in the pack, they had no previous relationships with any of their imprints. When they met them, it was for the first time. Their love was such a shock and such a powerful force that they knew instantly they had found their true love. While in his case, his feelings had always been that powerful for Bellabut she resisted. She didn't want to accept that Jake was anything more than her friend because she was dazzled by the powers and immortality of the vampires.

He wasn't sure why the imprint had somehow shifted back to Bella or what this meant for Nessie now. He just knew that he was grateful that Bella was back in his life and she seemed to be feeling a connection that this time she wasn't fighting against it.

"Jake when I discovered that my true feelings for you went deeper than friendship, it was too late for us. I had already promised myself to Edward. I couldn't hurt him like that. I didn't want to hurt you either. I just felt so …torn." Bella whimpers as she pulls his arms down, taking his hand in hers.

"Well you did. You broke my heart." Jake replied evenly as he looks between their hands and her eyes.

"I wish I hadn't. I wish that I…well…I don't know what I want any more honestly. Since I woke up I feel so dazed and confused. I can't shake the feeling that I'm not in that coma still, like this all some weird dream." Bella's legs swayed back and forth as she struggled to find the right words to explain how she was feeling.

"You're not in that coma anymore. Trust me." Jake sighs as he squeezes her hand to make a point that if she was still in a coma/dream then she wouldn't be able to truly feel anything.

"Jake….I'm scared." Bella lips trembled as she stepped closer to him. Placing her free hand on his chest, she looked up at him with timid eyes.

"Scared of what Bella?" Jake felt his soul soar as he felt her touching his chest and the way her eyes seem to express that like him, she too felt this powerful connection between them at last.

"I'm scared I ….feel differently. I don't understand it but when I'm with you, I feel so warm, so alive but when I'm around Edward, I'm so angry and cold most of the time." Bella presses her lips together. Staring up at Jake she sees in his eyes that he understands her frustration and that like her, he too felt better when he was near her.

"Maybe I'm defective after all. Maybe I've been broken and can't be fixed." Bella speaks in a low voice as her hand roams up his chest, circling around his neck.

"You aren't broken Bella. You're just thick headed." Jake mumbles as their eyes lock and they both feel the vibrations stirring between them.

"Do you still love me? Can your heart ever truly love me the way it once did?"

"Bella, my heart never stopped loving you, not even when I imprinted on Nessie." Jake answers honestly as he releases her hand from his. Placing both of them instead on her bony hips, he pulls her up against him. Her other hand closes the circle around his neck as they look deeply into one another's eyes.

"Kiss me Jake. Kiss me like you will never let me go." Bella whispers.

"I won't." Jake vows as his mouth covers hers.

* * *

><p>Alice had been trying to keep a safe distance between herself and Edward all day since he returned with Bella. She didn't want to alarm him about Bella's impending future with the family.<p>

When she walked out of the grocery store with Jasper by her side, she dropped a bag of groceries from her grip as a vision struck her so hard it actually hurt.

Jasper picked up the bag and pushed on her lower back to keep her walking forward so she wouldn't attract too much attention**. **

When he got her safely to the car, he threw the bags in the back and climbed in next to her.

"What the hell was that about?" Jasper laughs nervously.

"Carlisle wanted me to keep an eye on Bella's decisions." Alice explained with a shaky voice.

"And?" Jasper knew that what was about to come out of her mouth wasn't going to be wonderful news.

"She has changed. Her love for Jake is different somehow? Or is it? Have I missed seeing something before now?" Alice squinted her eyes together trying to figure out the jig saw of images that had appeared in her mind.

"See what?" Jasper sighed heavily. Turning the car on he put the car in drive to return back home.

"Bella. Bella and Jake. They are together. They have a future. This is so messed up. Normally when she is with Jake it's fuzzy, like I can't see anything well enough to know what it means." Alice covered her face with her hands as she shook her head trying to make sense of what she had seen.

"Then why would you see her with Jake now?" Jasper laughs rudely.

"Because Bella has made a decision that she possibly doesn't even know she has made yet. She wants Jake." Alice answers with a painful voice as she looks at Jasper with a painful smile.


	10. Silently Confused

A/N: Thanks you guys for the wonderful support for this story! I'm glad you guys are giving it real shot now that you know that Nessie/Jake ain't going to happen in this story. Xoxox August

Chapter 9: Silently Confused

A blast of heat rolled off of Jake. A sudden blinding need erupted in Bella, creating a sudden liquid rush between her legs. Her body arched toward him. She felt like she would go insane if he stopped touching her. The two of them were feeling the passionate flames between their bodies.

Bella didn't want to ever stop kissing Jake. This kiss was about much more than just mere lust. There was a magical and erotic sensation coursing through her veins and it was so addicting.

"Mmmm…." Jake growled softly as Bella's hand slithered down to the hardness she had felt pressed up against her. Stroking him above his clothing she could literally feel his pulse through the throbbing in his jeans.

Jake didn't know if he rather laugh or cry, because his body was like a pot about to boil over. They both could feel the current of hot energy that flowed between them. Although he craved what he had been denied for so long he knew they couldn't risk getting caught.

They were both in a vulnerable state of mind. One of them would have to stop the other from going too far, too fast.

Jake grabbed both of her shoulders as he pulled his body away from hers. He heard her groan with disappointment as their eyes locked.

The tendons in his neck and the muscles in his arms stood out starkly as he strained to find some sense of control over his body. His eyes widen with hunger and focused on her face.

"Jake." she said hoarsely.

Jake was still struggling with his hard on that was still aching between his legs. He had wanted her so much that he had nearly forgotten the bizarre situation they were both in.

Lifting his head, he caught the detestable scent of Edward. His hard on withered away immediately from the smell of Bella's husband. He shook his head as his mind cleared up and his heart beat went back to a normal pace.

"I'm sorry Bella." Jake replied.

Bella looked at him with a painful smile.

"I know. We shouldn't do this anymore. I'm with Edward and you have Nessie now." Bella choked on the words as they spilled out of her mouth.

"That's not what I'm sorry for. Trust me." Jake laughed bitterly.

"Then why are you sorry?" Bella sighs with relief.

"I have to go. Edward is coming. If he gets close enough he will be able to read my mind. I can't block this from him. Not yet. Luckily, he can't read your mind." Jake reminded her that she was safe from Edward's mind reading powers.

"I will try to find a way for us to be alone again. I promise." Jake leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheek before he took off in hurried rush before Edward got any closer.

Bella sat back down on her log looking at her hands between her legs. They were still shaky. She couldn't explain it but kissing Jake was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Their kiss on the mountain that day was wonderful and even visionary for her but this one was ten times more inspiring. She knew there was still something powerful between her and Jake. It gave her hope that his imprint with Nessie wasn't as strong as the love they shared.

That last thought bothered her. Why was it so important to her to know that Jake's love for her was stronger than his for Nessie? She felt awful. She was being selfish again. Jake's love had always been such a treasure to her and she had never truly wanted to give it up. Even when she knew he would suffer if he stayed by her side, Bella had never been able to truly break the ties that bound them together. She wasn't a good friend to Jake.

"There you are." Edward states with a weak smile as he sits uninvited next to her.

Bella licks her lips, tasting Jake's kiss still on them.

"Are you feeling better?" Edward asks.

"A little." Bella couldn't let him know just how good she had been feeling until he showed up uninvited and interrupted her mind blowing kiss with Jake.

Edward took her hand and turns it up as he stared into her palm.

"I'm sorry Bella that things aren't going like you want them. I had hoped that you would be thrilled by Jake's acceptance in our family despite him being our mortal enemy. I wasn't exactly thrilled that his future was tied in with our daughters but I knew you would at least get to keep an important person from your past this way." Edward's fingers trailed across the lines in her palm as he spoke to her.

"I didn't know that Alex would react so strongly to your blood. I feel like I am letting you down. I'm lost here. I don't know what to do to make you happy. It's funny because in the past my being with you was enough and now I can't seem to do anything right for you." Edward finished as he lifted her hand up and placed a cool kiss on it.

Bella watched as his lips touch her hand. She felt a shiver of guilt wash over her when she found his touch uncomfortable to her flesh. It was strange how she felt so unattached to him. He was her husband. He was her soul mate. His touch had once ignited a frenzy of lust in her. Was it possible that this was just a temporary side effect from the serum? Then how could she explain how Jake's touch had a totally different effect on her? Jake's touch and kiss had created such a powerful yearning in her. It was almost indescribable.

"Edward I feel like I woke up and I'm living in a world that doesn't make sense to me. Everything is backwards. I know you want to pick up where we left off but I still have to grasp what happened to me while I was frozen in time before I can move ahead." Bella hoped he would understand that she just needed some space and time to pull herself together.

"I understand." Edward placed his arm around her shoulder, pulling her next to him.

Bella sighed sadly as she leaned her head on his comforting shoulder.

"I'm sorry if I come off ungrateful. I don't mean to." Bella whimpers as tears sting her eyes. She knew that Edward loved her and had suffered all these years without her. She wasn't sure at the moment where her heart stood with him. She wasn't sure if she wanted to continue her journey of life with him. She just knew that at the moment all she could think about and desire was Jake. It would kill Edward and Nessie if either of them discovered her uncontrollable need to be near Jake. She didn't want to hurt anyone.

"Don't be sorry Bella. I will try not to smother you while you get reacquainted with your life and bond with Nessie. I know how you hate it when I am overly protective." Edward snickered recalling the fights they had in the past over his constant need to control and protect her from anything he saw as a possible threat to her.

"Thank you Edward." Bella looked up at him with a gratifying smile.

"What are you going to do about Alex? I mean it when I said I am not going to live in constant fear for my life. We've done that already with James and Victoria." Bella stood her ground on that particular subject. She feared Edward would keep someone glued to her side at all times to prevent Alex from attacking her. She was tired of having body guards in her life.

"Alex isn't even remotely like either of them. She is a good person and has no reason to seek revenge on you." Edward replies with a soft smirk.

"Good." Bella exhaled loudly with relief.

"We should get back. Esme is making you a special dinner in celebration of your return." Edward warns her as he lifts her up on her feet.

"Great! You all get to watch me as I eat." Bella rolled her eyes playfully.

"You forget that Jake and Nessie also eat. You're not the only human in the house now." Edward pointed out.

Suddenly Bella's stomach twisted in a knot as she found herself dreading a dinner where she would have to watch Jake and Nessie together as an official couple in her new life. Rubbing her lips she reminded herself that Jake might be Nessie's imprint but he still loved her as well.

"Are you cold?" Edward felt Bella's body tremble as he held her hand while they return to the house.

"A little." Bella partially lied. She was indeed cold but what really made her tremble wasn't from the cool weather.

"I know Dad, it's been awhile. I'm sorry if I woke you up." Jake chuckles hearing his father's voice calmed his shaky heartbeat. His father had a soothing voice that had always made him feel as if the world would be okay when it wasn't.

"I was just napping. You do that when you get as old as me." Billy laughs whole heartedly.

"I bet. So Dad I hate to call you and just start asking a bunch of questions but I fear I have a big problem." Jake ran his free hand through his hair as he leaned back against the tall pine tree.

"What's the problem Jake?" Billy asks with a smile in his voice.

"Dad, I …Bella woke up. She is alive and well." Jake began.

"What! That is wonderful son!" Billy exclaimed joyfully.

"It is. But Dad when I saw her this time something happened between us. Something I can't explain. There was like this strong current between us. I couldn't stop staring into her eyes. It took everything I had to walk away from her when Edward threw me out of their room." Jake continued.

"Whoa! Why were you in Edward's bedroom?" Billy asks.

"Bella was in there. I thought she had died but when I got back to the house I went looking for Nessie and found her in Edward's room with Bella." Jake answered.

"Oh. So when you look at Bella you felt as if what?" Billy asks wearily.

"Dad, it felt like I imprinted on Bella." Jake said.

Hearing the words out loud made it feel even more real to him. He had suspected it but up until now he couldn't say anything to anyone. Talking to his father was helping him feel less anxious and think more logically.

"Son, are you sure you didn't just feel love for her? You've always loved Bella even before you were a wolf. What about Nessie? Has she said if she feels any differently?" Billy rubbed his forehead as he recalled the past when he had deeply suspected that Jake and Bella might have imprinted but their love had always existed before Jake phased and perhaps that was why it wasn't so noticeable. Nothing had changed between them. They were always in love so how would they notice a shift in their relationship when there was no need for one?

He had also noted how neither of them could stay apart from one another for too long. They would crawl the walls wanting to see or hear the other's voice.

When Jake had informed him that he had imprinted on Nessie, Billy had been blown away. He was shocked that his theory had been so wrong. Still, Nessie was a part of Bella. Could it be that their imprint shifted to the next most vital person who could be the perfect mate for Jake? It would make sense that it would gravitate to Bella's daughter. After all the imprint wasn't just about passionate love but also a protective love. An imprint was about being "whatever" your imprint needed. Not all imprints in the history of wolves were bound together as lovers.

"Dad, Nessie and I have been growing apart. I tried to kiss her and when I did all I saw was Bella. Which was really weird because it was before I learned Bella was awake." Jake explains with an edgy tone.

"So you think that since Bella has risen from her death bed that perhaps the imprint shifted back to its rightful owner?" Billy couldn't rule out that Jake's theory could be correct, however he would need to do some research to be sure.

"I don't know Dad. I mean, I never thought we were imprinted before but I know NOW I feel something so incredible. It's so much stronger than it was with Nessie. I cared about Nessie and I took care of her and hell yeah I would've killed for her but when I looked at her I saw a girl, not a woman." Jake explains his lack of passion for Nessie versus her mother. With Bella he had always had hormones pumping in his veins. He couldn't control his lustful thoughts when Edward was even around. With Nessie that had never been a problem. He would let Edward read any of his thoughts that concerned his daughter because honestly there was not one dirty thought in his head.

"Let me do some research and I will call you back later. Do not tell Bella what you suspect. Son, it's very important that you hide your happiness from Nessie and the others. You are there because you are supposed to be Nessie's soulmate but if they learned that you aren't and your Bella's instead things could get very ugly. You don't have a pack to back you up. Just try to keep a calm head on you." Billy pleaded.

"I will. Thanks Dad." Jake sighed with relief knowing that his Dad understood how crazy he was going and just how exciting it felt for him. At last he was getting his opportunity to show Bella that his love was just as powerful as Edwards.

"Do you want to come inside and help Esme with dinner?" Rose asks as she slips her arms around Nessie's slouch shoulders.

"Not really." Nessie pouted.

Rose wasn't sure what was going on exactly but she was starting to think that Bella's return home was creating problems for some family members. Rose cared about Bella. She had after all put Rose in charge of protecting her child before she died. Rose would always be grateful to Bella for giving her the chance to raise a baby even if it wasn't biologically her own.

"It's a celebration dinner! I would've thought you would be jumping for joy to have your mother back." Rose frowns as she watches Nessie pluck the petals off of a flower.

"I'm really happy she is alive. I just feel weird. I can't explain it." Nessie sighed heavily as she tilted her head to give Rose a weak smile.

"That makes sense. I mean it is weird. Your mother is awake and moving around in our house. She is a real person and not someone you use to watch in her bed. It's going to take some time to adjust but you will." Rose advised her.

"Why didn't you tell me that Jake and my mother were once lovers?" Nessie asks bluntly as she watches Rose's lip curl up.

"Honey they were never lovers. They were very good friends." Rose knew for a fact that Bella had been only Edward's lover.

"Good friends who kissed?" Nessie huffed.

"Oh yeah the kiss. Look it was only that one time. No twice. She broke her hand the first time." Rose laugh suddenly remembering Bella had hit Jake's face and injured herself.

"What?" Nessie cried out.

"Jake tried to make the moves on your mother and she hit him with her fist and ended up breaking it." Rose explains.

"The second kiss she had given permission for so there were no broken bones following it." Rose finished showing her disappointment that Bella hadn't hit him again.

"So Jake was madly in love with my mother but she didn't return those feelings for him?" Nessie wasn't sure if she felt badly for Jake or she wanted to hit him herself.

It just didn't seem natural that her imprint would want her mother now or in the past. It was really morbid and disgusting.

Nessie felt a sudden pain strike her straight through her heart. Covering her chest with her hands she bends over, gasping for air.

"Nessie! What's wrong?" Rose had seen the horrifying look on Nessie's face just before she fell over in instant pain.

"I…can't….breathe…" Nessie chokes as she struggles to breathe.

"What?" Rose lifts her up in her arms and rushes to Carlisle's office, hoping he is there.

Bursting through the doors she found Carlisle reading one of his books when she lays Nessie down on the couch.

"What's wrong?" Carlisle saw the frightened expression on Rose's face the second she blurred into his vision. She was moving at full speed.

"I don't know. She says she can't breathe." Rose cries out frantically.

Carlisle was at her side at once as he looked down at Nessie who was clearly showing signs of breathing but she did appeared to be in pain.

Kneeling down by her he studied her face closely as he listened to her.

"Nessie honey where do you hurt?" Carlisle asks.

"My chest. I …it…feels like …..heart…hurts." Nessie manage to get out.

"Let me see." Carlisle pulled her hands away. He grabbed his scope as he listened to her heart. It sounded a little erratic but that wasn't unusual for her.

"It sounds normal." He says out loud as he begins to examine the rest of her body.

Once he was done he was a bit baffled by her pain.

"Sit up. I want you to look at me. Listen to my voice. Just listen to me." Carlisle wondered if it was possible that she might be experiencing a slight anxiety attack.

A lot had gone on in the house today and it was possible that it was taking its toll on Nessie.

"Before the pain what were you doing?" Carlisle asks.

"I was talking to ….Rose." Nessie muttered, her teeth still clench together as the pain began to subside enough so that she wasn't breathing so hard.

"What were you talking to Rose about?" Carlisle continued to ask.

"Jake. My mother. I was learning about their history." Nessie answered as she felt the ache staring to fade from her chest.

"Are you worried about your mother and Jake's relationship?" Carlisle asks curiously.

"NO. I mean. Yes. I don't know." Nessie shook her head.

"It's okay Nessie. I'm sure this is all a little overwhelming for you but you must remember that your imprint with Jake is much stronger than anything your mother and Jake had. They are only good friends now." Carlisle hoped like hell he was telling her the truth.

"I know. But….the imprint….it….something is wrong with it." Nessie found herself saying what she feared the most.

"What do you mean? Nothing can break an imprint." Carlisle said with confidence.

"Really? How do you know that? Do you have a book that explains imprinting?" Nessie glanced around the room where he kept some of his books he collected over the years.

Carlisle frowns as he realizes he has no real proof to his theory. Nessie was a smart girl. Unless she saw it in writing she would continue to have these doubts.

"I'm afraid I don't." Carlisle chuckled bitterly wishing like hell he did.

"Then you can't be so sure that what Jake and I share can't be broken." Nessie gulped hard as she stood up staring at Rose and Carlisle with big fat tears in her eyes.

"Why do you think it's been broken?" Carlisle asks with a grave look.

"I just feel it. I've been feeling it for days now. Jake and I ….never mind. I'm fine. Don't tell Dad, please. I don't want him hovering over me all night. I'm fine so let's just forget this happened." Nessie's eyes pleaded with them to keep this situation hush-hush from the others.

"Fine." Carlisle agreed.

Rose was surprised by how easy he had agreed to it. Normally Carlisle was all about telling Edward everything. Why would he not want Edward to know that Nessie had fears that her imprint with Jake was breaking and that she feared her mother and Jake might have something far more special? Something didn't feel right to Rose. Something felt awful wrong.

"Fine." Rose nodded her head but her eyes clearly showed she thought they were making a bad call.

"Good. Now let's go make that dinner." Nessie hook her arm in Rose's leading her out of the office.

Carlisle looked around the office and realized that he was going to have to figure out a way to get more information about imprinting. Until he had some facts about the subject they were all in danger of losing Bella to Jake. He couldn't let Edward and Nessie go through that unnecessary pain if he could prevent it.

The dinner went better than Bella had expected. Luckily she had been seated at the end of the table with Edward on one side, Esme on the other. Jake and Nessie were seated at the opposite end across from one another. She had caught the way Nessie had looked at Jake a few times when he was pretending to care more about the food on his plate more than the conversations.

When dinner was officially over Edward had walked Bella back to their room and ran her a long hot bubble bath. Bella was grateful for his kindness. She had taken a long soak and changed into her bed clothes. When she entered the room she had half expected to see Edward on the bed waiting for her but instead she found Nessie sitting there instead.

"Nessie." Bella smiled brightly at her daughter. She couldn't help but look at her and not feel a tinge of envy at just how beautiful her daughter was. Apparently the vampire blood had prevented any flaws from her beauty. Bella studied her face wishing she could see a part of her in it but once again she saw nothing familiar about her child. She had clearly taken on most of her father's genes and none of Bella's. The only thing she could get credit for was her daughter's curly hair which her own mother also had. It must skip a generation she thought to herself as she ran her fingers through her straight hair.

"Hi. I'm sorry for bothering you. I just…well…I wanted to make sure you were okay." Nessie wasn't sure why she had come to her mother's room exactly but when she had walked by it she had felt this incredible urge to talk to her mother about her shared past with Jake.

"I'm fine. How are you? You were awful quiet at dinner tonight. I know I don't know you that well but I suspect you like to talk a lot." Bella grinned as she sat next to her daughter.

"Yeah, I do." Nessie confessed with a soft giggle.

"So what's wrong? Are you feeling okay?" Bella looked concerned.

"I'm fine. I was just listening to you guys. It was…weird, you know." Nessie chewed on her lip as she locks eyes with her mother.

"I guess my being here is weird in itself." Bella says understanding how strange it was for her to be there with them.

"It's a good kind of weird. I'm glad you are well. Dad has been lost without you. I often wondered what he would do if you hadn't pulled through." Nessie reveals some of her private fears that she had never really shared with anyone else. It was strange but it felt so natural to talk to her like this.

"I'm sorry for that. I really didn't know it would take me this long to wake up." Bella patted her hand with an apologetic smile.

"Why did you think it was necessary to let everyone think you died?" Nessie began to spill out questions that she had always wondered about.

"Well, you see there was this treaty between the wolves and the vampires that if a human was bitten by them it would start a war. I didn't' want to be the reason for that war or broken treaty. Then there was my family. My dad is a sheriff. Did they tell you that?" Bella asks as she smiles tenderly at Nessie.

"Yes. Charlie. Charlie Swan." Nessie nods her head recalling the information that she had been given when she was younger and asked a million questions.

"My dad warned me once that if I had ever gone missing he would hunt me down until his last breath. Now most parents say that but I knew he truly meant it. He loved me so much. I think he thought I was the only good thing he had ever done in his life." Bella chuckled as her heart ached from the memories of her father as they crawled into her head and heart.

"I was going to be changed after you were born. If I was to become a vampire I couldn't see my family again. I knew my father wouldn't let me go so easily. I couldn't afford to let my father waste his life looking for me. I wanted him to move on with his life and my death was the only way I could see that happening." Bella sighed sadly.

"So you thought it would help those you loved in the long run." Nessie was beginning to understand her mother's reasoning for faking her death.

"Exactly. I knew that no matter which choice I made they would suffer but this way it would take them less time to recover." Bella felt a tear slip out of the corner of her eye as she saw her father's face in her mind. Then her mother's face appeared. Her heart literally ached. She missed them. She missed them so much but she knew she had no one to blame but herself. She had made the choice to marry Edward and knew the consequences once she had. Still, she was saddened over the loss of her old life.

"Do you regret it?" Nessie sensed her pain as she held her mother's pale hand in hers.

"No. Yes. I don't know. I guess we will have to see where I go from here." Bella chuckled bitterly as a few more tears poured out.

"Mom, I am sorry you're suffering. I know how that feels." Nessie's bottom lip trembled as she prepared herself to say what she needed to say next.

"What do you mean?" Bella wiped away the tears while staring deeply into Nessie's eyes.

"I have been…well…Jake and I …something isn't right about us. I love him so much that I literally ache when he is away from me. I feel like he is somehow falling out of love with me. Everyone thinks I'm acting crazy but I can feel it here." Nessie took her mother's hand and set it on her chest. Bella could feel Nessie's heart beat beneath her palm.

"Why would you think that Jake doesn't love you?" Bella's hand shook nervously as she continued to look straight into Nessie's face.

"I think that he loves you more." Nessie confessed as her own tears spilled out of her eyes.

"What! Don't be silly. He can love more than one person Nessie. Jake has a big heart. He would never intentionally hurt anyone." Bella says.

"I know he can love more than one person but I think he is only IN love with one person." Nessie dropped her mother's hand as she looked away from her mother.

"What are you saying Nessie?" Bella felt as if she had been suckered punch in the stomach.

"I think that ….I think that Jake loves…." Nessie choked on the words. She knew that her mother hadn't meant to steal Jake's love from her but it had happened.

"At last I've found my two favorite ladies in the whole wide world." Edward's voice called out as he stepped into the room.

Nessie sighed with relief. Bella was also relieved by the interruption. She had a bad feeling that Nessie was going to confess that she saw her mother as an adversary for Jake's love. If she was honest with herself and Nessie she would confirm it but Bella still wasn't entirely sure about these feelings she was experiencing for Jake. This could simply be some type of side effect or psychological need to hold on to her old life.

Now would be a great time to seek counseling Bella laughed bitterly in her head.

"Dad." Nessie jumped off the bed and threw herself around Edward.

Edward chuckled but looked over Nessie's head to stare curiously at Bella. Bella just gave him an uneasy look.

"Dinner looked like it was good. Thank you for helping Esme in the kitchen. You know how over the top she can get." Edward kissed the top of Nessie's head.

"Dinner was fabulous." Bella agreed as she relaxed, shining a proud smile at them both.

"Really?" Nessie smiled proudly at her mother.

"It was. Do you cook a lot?" Bella asks.

"Yeah. Jake said he wasn't going to take me out for fancy dinners for the rest of my life." Nessie explains as Edward and her shared a private look before laughing.

Bella wasn't sure what that was all about and was a little envious at how they shared private things that she was not privy too.

"You better get some rest. Alice says she is taking you girls out for a well needed shopping spree tomorrow." Edward knew how happy that news would make Nessie. She enjoyed shopping as much as Alice.

"Yes! Wait am I on a budget again?" Nessie pouted playfully while batting her long eye lashes.

Bella was in awe of their perfect father/daughter relationship. It looked so natural to see Edward spoil his child. She couldn't help but wish that she had been a part of that from the beginning. Although she had a bad feeling she would be the only strict person in the family. The rest of them lived life without any consideration of consequences. They didn't have too. They were going to live forever.

Bella was struck hard as she realized that deep down she knew in her heart that she wouldn't live forever. This meant that at some point she had changed her mind entirely about wanting to become a vampire. She was perplexed. That was all she had wanted before Nessie's birth. She had been insistent that they change her so she could live out the rest of her years as an immortal and take pleasure in being with this family. Now, suddenly she no longer desired that. What had happened? Why wouldn't she want that even more so now? She had a daughter and a husband who would never grow old. Wouldn't that be a driving force to want to be a vampire even worse now?

"No budget as long as you make sure that your mother spends money on herself. She hates shopping." Edward orders.

"Your mother seriously needs an updated wardrobe and I'm sure you and Alice can help fix her up with one." Edward continues with sparkles in his eyes.

"What! How can you be my mother!" Nessie cries out playfully but her eyes are widen with shock.

"Hahaa! It's true. I used to hate it but maybe now it will be different." Bella felt her earlier doubts and questions fade away as she watched Nessie's face light up. She had to admit that Nessie had a warming effect on people she was around. She was truly a blessing.

"Of course it will be different, you will be shopping with me and let me tell you Alice has taught me things way beyond my years." Nessie smiles proudly.

Edward and Bella both laugh as Nessie gives them both a quick peck on the cheek before leaving the room.

Bella crawls under the covers as she feels the long days effect on her body. She truly felt sore from head to toe.

Edward gets in the bed next to her. Bella was surprised when he took off all of his clothes except his boxers before he crawled underneath the covers next to her. Normally in the past he would lay on top of the blankets and fully dressed. Of course the only time they had shared anything remotely this intimate had been on their honeymoon and lord knows what happened following that event.

"Do you mind if I hold you?" Edward asks with a nervous voice.

"Sure." Bella couldn't deny him that request. He was her husband after all. She knew that although her body seemed to lust for Jake she still loved Edward in her own way.

His cool arm slid behind her neck. She turned to lay her head against his chest.

"You don't know how happy this makes me." Edward smiles into the darkness as his fingers trail up and down her back.

"What makes you so happy?" Bella wonders out loud.

"Holding you like this. Watching you and Nessie bond. Knowing that you will always be in my life. I finally have a perfect life Bella. I never dared dream this would happen for me." Edward answers.

"Me either." Bella let out a long yawn.

"Go to sleep. We have forever now. Plenty of time to talk and show our love for one another." Edward says as he feels Bella's breathing starting to soften as she falls asleep.

Jake had tossed and turned since he got in his bed. His father had called him back after dinner telling him about a local tribe nearby who had a shaman who might give him more answers to his question. Billy had called ahead and made arrangements for Jake to be allowed on their reservation and to speak to their chief. They were a little more formal than the Quileute's.

Billy had also informed him that like them they also had the ability to phase into wolves but it had been a long time since their tribe had need of wolves. They pretty much were born on the reservations, lived on it, and died on it. They weren't a big tribe but they didn't allow their members to mingle with outsiders. They were trying to keep their blood line as pure as possible.

It sounded rather prejudice to Jake. He was grateful that he was born in a more modern tribe.

The only reason he was given permission at all to enter their grounds was due to his pure blood line and his ancestors being chiefs as well as the fact that he was an Alpha. They told Billy they would be honored to speak to him but he was to come alone.

Jake wasn't sure if he was happy about the invite or frightened. They sounded like Indians of the old days and he wasn't sure what would be expected of him. Still, he had to take the chance and go or live in uncertainty about his imprint with Bella.

Jake rolled over and stared at the digital clock by his bed. It was almost two am. He growled in frustration that he couldn't seem to find sleep when he felt a sudden presence in the room. Sitting up in his bed he squinted his eyes focusing on the image of the person who had entered the room. Sniffing the air he knew who the intruder was at once. He just wondered why she was in his room? It wouldn't look good if anyone saw her enter his room.

"Jake." Nessie whimpered as she stepped cautiously to his bed.

"What's wrong?" Jake hated how he couldn't sense immediately what was wrong with her. He used to know when Nessie was upset or troubled but now she was like an empty vessel to him. He only saw what she allowed him to see. He no longer saw inside of her.

"I had a bad dream." Nessie sobs.

"Come here." Jake waved at her to crawl in next to him.

He might not be madly in love with Nessie but he still felt a strong need to protect her even if it was just from bad dreams.

"I'm so cold." Nessie's body shook as she snuggled her face up against his warm chest.

"Well, we both know I'm not." He chuckled as he covered them both up.

"Ha-ha…true." Nessie giggles against his chest.

"Shhh…go to sleep. We both need it." Jake smiles sadly in the darkness as he wraps his arms around her, wishing that he wasn't going to have to break her heart someday but knowing it was completely out of his control.

Laying there quietly they both fell asleep.


	11. Jacob's Quest

**A/N: Sorry for the delay between RL/I'm also working on a new story with Luvin J called Wayward Souls. Hope you guys go check it out!**

Unwavering Chpt. 10: What You Wanted

Edward watched as Bella slept peacefully next to him. Grabbing a book he tried to read but he unexpectedly found himself thinking about Alex. He felt awful for her. She didn't have any friends here. They were her family now and they exiled her. He knew they had no other choice. Until Alex could prove to them that she wouldn't be a threat to Bella or if Bella decided she was ready for the change, Alex would have to remain away.

His phone buzzed alerting him someone was calling.

"Hello." He spoke softly not wanting to wake up Bella.

"Hey. Do you have a second to talk? I'm going crazy over here." Alex asks.

"I'm sorry about that." Edward looked sadly around at the room.

"It's not your fault." Alex laughs nervously.

"Still, I should have had someone warn you that Bella was coming home." Edward replies.

"It wouldn't have mattered if I had known or not. I would have still gone crazy for her blood. How do you guys do it? It's so yummy smelling." Alex licked her teeth.

"It used to be hard but it's gotten easier over the years." Edward chuckles.

"I have to say you have some major restraint." Alex laughed lightly.

"Look, until you get it under control they won't let you come home." Edward changes the humor of the situation to remind her that until she figured out how to handle it she was sentenced to stay alone.

"I know. I'm not sure how you guys expect me to get past this." Alex sighed deeply.

"You will find away. We all did." Edward encouraged her that it was possible to resist human blood even if it was intoxicating like Bella's.

"Hello! It's easier for you guys. You all love her so much." Alex's lip trembles slightly from the despair she was struggling with. She hated being alone. She thought it would be exciting but it wasn't. It was lonely and just stupid. She deserved to be in that house just as much as Bella. She was one of them, not Bella. Sure Bella had married into the family but she didn't belong to their species like Alex did.

"True but we didn't love her at first. I had a hard time sitting beside in her class but I managed. The thought of killing someone outweighed my bloodlust." Edward laughed softly.

"How long do I have to stay here? When will we know if I am capable of being near her again?" Alex whined.

"I don't know. I will talk to Carlisle and see what he wants to do." Edward offered.

"Can you come see me tomorrow? I am so freaking bored." Alex pouted as she stared at the four walls surrounding her.

"I…well….sure." Edward remembered that Bella would be out shopping for most of the day with the girls so he a good excuse to step out of the house and he knew she would be safely protected.

"Thanks Edward. Also can you bring me some more of my stuff?" Alex had been sent away with what she had on and her purse. They hadn't sent anything else to her since she was sentenced to stay away from the house.

"Sure." Edward agreed.

"Night Edward." Alex's face showed her miserable state but her voice continued to paint a happy picture for Edward.

"Night Alex." Edward hung up his phone and set it back.

Looking around the room he wondered if he should tell anyone he was going to drop by to see Alex tomorrow. Maybe one of the other family members would like to join him. Ever since he discovered her true feelings for him he felt a little awkward at the thought of being completely alone with her. He knew she understood she had no real chance with him. He had made it crystal clear that he loved Bella and should she die he still couldn't see himself loving another woman for the rest of his immortal life.

* * *

><p>Jake felt a softness graze his lips as his eyes fluttered open. Nessie's face hovers over his as she playfully nips at his lower lip. Jake's hands shot up as they grabbed her waist. Gently putting her back on her side of the bed.<p>

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jake grumbled as he set up in bed staring down at her with angry eyes.

"I…couldn't resist." Nessie explains with a sad smile.

"Nessie, you know…you can feel …the difference, right?" Jake looked deeply in her eyes. Holding his breath he watched as several emotions crossed her saddened face.

"I know something is wrong Jake. I know it in my heart but …I've always loved you." Nessie's blue eyes fill up with tears.

"I love you too Nessie but we both know that my version of love for you is different." Jake gulped hard as he watched tears stream down her face.

"We can get past this. I know it. You just have to let your guard down Jake. Let me back in. Let my love fill you up the way it used too." Nessie pleads as she circles her arms around his neck trying to kiss him again. Jake felt a small part of his heart ache for her but it wasn't enough to keep him from betraying Bella.

Pulling her arms away from him, he rolls out of the bed to put some safe distance between them.

"Sorry Nessie. I can't pretend to want you that way when I don't. I will always love you and protect you but you can't force me to want to make love to you." Jake closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again to find Nessie sitting straight up in the bed. She looked so lost and scared.

"You will want to someday Jake! You're just still in shock at seeing my mother. You feel like this is wrong somehow because I'm her daughter but I swear to you Jake you will get past those feelings. My mother knows that we share a deep bond and from what I have learned about her she isn't the type of woman to come between lovers. She loves my father Jake! She loves him more than anything in this world. You have to let go of her Jake! She will never return your love for her. She hasn't in the past and she won't now. She will be like us soon Jake. How will you feel about her then?" Nessie gulped for air after her long outburst.

Jake just stood there staring at her with sympathy in his eyes.

"That won't ever happen." Jake's voice was cold as he went to the bathroom locking the door behind him.

Nessie rolled over, curling her legs up as warm salty tears spilled down her face. She couldn't explain it but she had a bad feeling he was right about that last part. Her mother was such a tender, delicate woman and the thought of Bella hunting down an innocent animal didn't seem natural to her.

Still Nessie knew that in order for her mother to continue to be a part of their family and to be her father's wife she would have to make that monstrous change if she wanted to be immortal like them.

* * *

><p>Bella was sucking the eggs straight off her plate. She woke this morning with an incredible appetite.<p>

She had been relieved to see that Edward had already left the room so she was able to change her clothes privately. She had woken up a couple of times during the night from the coolness of his skin. She was about to ask him for an extra blanket but when she woke up the last time he had slipped away. She was curious where he had gone off to, but she was more relieved that he had left so her body could hopefully get back to its normal temperature.

"Are you hungry much?" Alice teased as she set across from Bella.

"God yes! I can't explain it but I feel like each bite is like the first time I have ever tasted food. It's crazy but I could just spend my whole day eating." Bella moaned as she bit into a large strawberry.

"Sadly today you have much more to do than eat. I will bring you a snack pack if that will help me get you out of the house." Alice chuckled.

Esme laughed as she bounced around the kitchen preparing this snack pack for her.

"So where are Nessie and Jake?" Bella asks curiously as she looks at the table where plenty more food was sitting ready to be eaten.

"I'm not sure." Esme frowns as she looks at her watch at the time. Jake was normally the first one at the table. His wolf nostrils could pick up food five miles away.

"Nessie is a lazy bum but Jake usually is the first one here." Alice answers as she opens her compact and applies a fresh coat of peach lip stick. It was her latest purchase and she was still debating on whether it was a good buy or not. She normally stuck with more pinks and reds.

"When do we leave for shopping?" Bella asks as she gulps down her second glass of orange juice.

"First you have to go see Emmett. He wants you to stretch out with him. He is in charge of your physical therapy. He says all the walking we plan today could make your legs cramp up so I promised I would have you go be tortured by him first before I torture you." Alice giggled.

"Great!" Bella sighs but smiles warmly at her best friend.

"I guess I should go get it over with. Besides I think I just added about five pounds." Bella patted her flat stomach as she stood up stretching her arms above her head.

"Whatever!" Esme and Alice said in unison as they also both giggled.

"Where is this torture chamber?" Bella laughs with them.

"Go down the hall, take a left then go down that hall and take another left. It should be the door on your right." Esme answers.

"Okay. Damn this house is large." Bella shook her head in amazement.

"It is." Alice agrees with her.

"Be careful, don't let him push you too hard." Alice warns her.

"I will do my best." Bella waved at them as she headed out of the kitchen.

* * *

><p>She couldn't imagine why they had so many rooms in this house? She had accidentally found an extra bathroom, the game room and a room she wondered might belong to Alex since it didn't seem to fit anyone else's style in the house. When she made it to the last room she turn to open the door. The room was dim. She recognized right away that this was not the gym she was looking for but someone's bedroom. The hair on the back of her neck rose along with a tingling sensation that shot up and down her spine. She sensed that this was Jake's room. She wanted to explore it but knew it would be rude of her to go through his private area. She started to close the door when she saw movement in his bed. She wondered if it was him? The bed was across the large room. She tip toed closer to see if he was indeed still asleep when she saw golden curls sprayed crossed the large fluffy pillows. Her heart froze. Turning around she made her way out of the room as fast as her feet could take her.<p>

Jake stepped out of the bathroom when he immediately picks up Bella's scent in the room. He could smell her pain and fear. Looking around he didn't see her anywhere in there but then his eyes fell on Nessie who had apparently fallen back to sleep in his bed. He felt his blood grow cold. There was no doubt in his mind that Bella had sought him out and found Nessie in his bed and jumped to the wrong conclusion.

He was thankful he had already changed in his clothes as he flew out of the room in search of Bella. He found her in a hallway, she was sitting down with her back pressed against the wall, her knees at her face level as she cried into her hands.

"Bella." Jake knelt down in front of her. She tried to keep her hands covering her face but he was stronger and managed to get them down so he could look her in the eye.

"Bella, Nessie and I are not lovers. I mean it. She came to my room after having another bad dream. She has been doing that since she could walk. I swear to you NOTHING happened between us." Jake whispered as he grabbed her chin, lifting it up so she was force to look at him.

"It's really none of my business. I feel so stupid. I mean, you're supposed to want her." Bella hiccupped as her eyes shimmered from the tears.

"I don't want her. I told you already I want you Bella." Jake's voice grew hoarse as his heart ached. He wished they were anywhere but inside of this house. If they had been he would have been able to pull her in his arms and kiss her until she truly understood that his love for her surpassed anything he had ever experienced with Nessie.

"Why? Why would you torture yourself like that? " Bella pointed out as she looked curiously into his eyes.

"Torture? I guess it has been a rough journey trying to convince you that I love you and that you really love me. I haven't given up on us Bella. I won't let you give up on us." Jake growls as he presses his lips against her forehead. Pulling back he looks deeply into her eyes.

"Jake it's too late for us. You know that I am married to Edward. Nessie is my daughter. I can't hurt them. I _**WON'T **_hurt them." Bella shook her head back and forth as her lips pressed tightly together.

Jake chuckled inwardly at her stubbornness. It wasn't like he wasn't used to it by now. He loved her for it. He just wished she didn't use it against them so much.

"Sometimes Bella fate steps in and it dictates our lives. Trust me Bella, you and I are far from over." Jake exhales long and loud.

"What do you mean?" Bella was suspicious about his calmness. Normally he would be acting all crazy trying to force the issue of his love on her and now he seemed to be far too calm and laid back about the subject. He knew something but wasn't telling her. She hated secrets, especially secrets that consisted about her.

"I just….I know that this love in my heart is still there for you Bella. Why hasn't it left? Wouldn't any other normal guy moved on by now? I mean, hell, I have a girl in my bed that I could easily be with." He chuckled rudely before continuing.

"Yet all I want is YOU. I'm not giving up on us. Not yet. Not ever. So you better get it your thick head that this love I have for you is never going away. I have some errands to run today while you guys are out shopping but later tonight I hope we can find a way to be alone." Jake offers her a compromise. He knows she suspects he knows something and he wasn't going to lie to her. Once he knew more then he would confide everything to her.

"Jake, what are you up to?" Bella asks with a shaky voice.

"I am…." Jake was cut off before he could finish.

"There you are. Why are you on the floor?" Emmett looked between Jake and Bella. Something wasn't right about the scene he walked up on. He also had overheard a little bit of their conversation but he wasn't going to let them know he had.

He cared deeply for Bella and he had found himself respecting Jake over the last five years but he didn't like the way the two of them were looking at one another. His guts were warning him that the fleeting love that everyone believed Jake and Bella had shared wasn't over.

"I …well…" Bella mumbled as Jake took her hand, helping her back up on her own two feet.

"She got a bit dizzy. I made her sit until she felt better." Jake lied. He was thankful that Alex wasn't around, it was her gift to know when people were lying.

"Oh. Are you okay? Do I need to go get Carlisle?" Emmett decided to pretend to believe them.

"No. I'm fine." Bella shook her head.

"Cool. I will take it easy on you then. Come on." Wrapping his arm around her shoulder he leaned her body against his as he led her away from Jake.

Jake watched them go and couldn't help but fear that Emmett had heard more than he was letting either of them know. Emmett was a pretty cool guy in Jake's book but he knew his loyalty lied with Edward and the rest of the Cullen's. He had to be more careful. He didn't want to cause a war until it was absolutely necessary.

* * *

><p>"One...two…three...four…five…six…seven…eight…nine…ten. Good job Bella." Emmett watches as the sweat rolls down the sides of Bella's face. He wasn't pushing her too hard but he wasn't going to go too easy on her either.<p>

He knew she needed to build up her strength. She was still very weak. She didn't complain one bit which pleased him. He knew that Bella was much stronger than most people credited her with.

"I think that is enough for today." Emmett hands her a bottle of water out of the mini fridge.

"You guys keep water in here?" Bella pants taking the bottle from his hands.

"Sure. Jake uses this room a lot." Emmett answers.

"Oh." Bella suck down the water greedily. Her body was sore but it also felt good. She was starting to feel alive again. She knew pain could make anyone remember they were definitely in the world of the living.

"So how are you handling everything?" Emmett asks as he sits down on the floor in front of her.

"Fine." Bella mutters drinking some more water.

"It's me Bella. Emmett. How are you really handling all of this? I'm sure it had to freak you out to discover that Jake and Nessie were in love." Emmett normally kept his nose out other people's business but he knew that if Bella and Jake began to fall in love, Rose would be hysterical with rage. She cared very deeply for Nessie. She was extremely protective of her. He hated to see Rose and Bella going head to toe about her feelings for her daughter's imprint.

"It was strange. I felt awful for him." Bella admits sadly as she finishes off the water.

"Why?" Emmett hadn't expected that reply.

"It's awful because he is away from his family and his pack. It's my fault he is here at all." Bella replied sitting the empty bottle next to her as she locked eyes with Emmett.

"I see. You think if you hadn't had Nessie then Jake wouldn't be in an imprint with your daughter." Emmett wondered if her sadness was due to guilt or something more?

"Don't get me wrong Emmett, I care very much for Nessie. I guess I am just wondering how things might have turned out if I had listened to Edward and had gotten rid of the pregnancy like he had wanted in the first place. I might …well…I might not have lost out of five years of my life, Jake would be home where he should be and our lives wouldn't be so damn complicated now." Bella confesses.

"It doesn't have to be complicated Bella. It is what it is. Why can't you just see this as a new start? You get to have Jake in your life and you also get us. None of us fight about his participation in our family anymore. Edward doesn't feel as threatened by Jake like he used to. It's been rather strange to watch." Emmett chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Bella wasn't sure what he was specifically finding amusing.

"Edward knows that Jake is Nessie's heart. He loves his daughter and he wouldn't dare do anything to jeopardize her love for Jake. He knows there will come a time when Jake and Nessie are going to want more privacy and maybe even a home of their own. He isn't ready for it but he knows it will happen eventually." Emmett answers.

"So it's true they aren't lovers yet." Bella chewed on her lower lip as she recalled Jake swearing to her that he didn't desire Nessie the way he had her in the past.

"Not as far as we know. We sent them off on a romantic weekend but from what I have gathered from Rose things didn't go as she and Nessie planned." Emmett confides.

"So Rose wants Nessie and Jake to be lovers?" Bella felt her stomach sink as a wave of nausea hit her hard.

"Of course. Nessie has grown up a lot in such a short time it makes sense that she is ready to move her relationship with Jake to a new level." Emmett answered. Bella caught the slight look of embarrassment on his face as he discussed Nessie's growing sexuality.

"What's the rush?" Bella didn't understand why Nessie and Rose seem to think that she and Jake had to have sex so badly?

"I don't know for sure but I think and I could be entirely wrong but I think it will make the imprint stronger." Emmett shrugged his shoulders smiling uneasily at her.

"What's wrong with their imprint? I recall Quil being imprinted on a child but of course they hadn't had sex and he adored her just as much." Bella was picking up on something major and she knew it. Something wasn't right with Jake's and Nessie's imprinting. Even Jake had said that he cared for Nessie but he never could give her his heart the way he had Bella. It sounded as if their imprint was faulty somehow.

"I don't know exactly. I just…hey you know me! I try not to get involved in that mushy crap." Emmett laugh loudly as he stood up, helping Bella back on her feet.

"Haha. True. You're not one to match make that's for sure." Bella laughed lightly.

"Look Bella, I care a lot about you and you know that I would fight to the death to protect you but I hope you make the change soon." Emmett wasn't sure where that last thought had come from but it was out in the open now.

"Really?" Bella looked doubtful at him.

"Sure." Emmett smiled warmly.

"I'm not sure if that is what I want to be honest. Maybe Rose was right all along. Maybe I shouldn't jump the gun and take away all the other possible futures that lay out there for me." Bella heard herself revealing out loud her own thoughts about the important and vital subject.

"But Bella, you have a child now. You've experienced everything that you couldn't do as a vampire. Why do you suddenly no longer want to be as strong and powerful as the rest of us?" Emmett asked curiously.

"I mean, I thought you hated being weak." Emmett watched Bella closely as she stood there looking around for a few moments before she lifted her head up and stared hard at him.

"I just think there might be something more important out in the world for me than just being immortal." Bella said sadly as she picks up her water bottle and walked out of the room.

* * *

><p>Jake parked his bike outside of the rackety building that held a rusty signed above it with the title of Council Building over it.<p>

He was going to meet the tribe's shaman by the name of Longwinded Sunrise. A tall man wearing a faded yellow button up shirt stepped out of the building staring at Jake with open distaste.

"Are you the one known as Jacob Black?" He snapped harshly.

"Yes." Jake had a bad feeling that his presence wasn't exactly wanted here.

"Fine. Come with me." He waved at him over his shoulder as he began to walk down the dirt filled road.

Jake openly stared at the village. La Push wasn't exactly Hollywood but this village made it look like it in comparison. You could definitely see that this village had pretty much stuck to the old ways for most things. The houses were actually huts. It blew his mind away to think that they lived here during the winter months. Canada was brutal in the winter.

"He is in there." The rude stranger pointed to a bit tee-pee that stood on the backside of town. It had painted horses and past warriors painted all over the dull colored wood. It looked straight out of an old western movie.

Jake approached it cautiously as he bent his head to speak into the darkness.

"Hello. Hi it's me Jacob Black." He said as he stayed outside of the building until he was greeted. He remembered from his past teachings when he was a child the honor and respect you were expected to show a shaman. Although his village hadn't had one in a very long time.

"Step in Jacob Black." A raspy ancient voice called to him.

Jake squinted his eyes, pulling from his wolf senses until he was able to see in the darkened room.

He saw the shaman sitting in the far back corner staring at him as if he could see him just as well. Jake found that odd since there was no light in the tee-pee.

"Sit before the fire." He ordered.

Jake frowned at the old man. There was no fire. Then in a blink of an eye a fire started up in the center of the room. Jake sat down, crossing his legs as he sat patiently waiting for his next set of instructions.

"You are very patient young Jacob." The shaman announced as he hobbled to the fire.

Jacob knew not to speak to the shaman unless he was given a direct question to answer. So he just flashes him a thankful smile and then turns his attention back to the flames in front of him.

"You've been trained proper respect too I see. This is good. I am glad to see our brethren Quileute's have not forgotten our traditions entirely." He coughed as he made his way down across from Jake staring across the flames into Jacob's face.

"You look quite a bit like your grandfather. I have to say he was a very honorable man, Ephraim. I imagine you are too." He smiled. Jake saw that the man across from him only had a couple of teeth in his mouth. Jake knew it was rude to stare at him so he simply nodded his head then directed his eyes back into the flames.

"I knew you would come. I felt you move into our area. It's one of my gifts. I can sense when dangerous or powerful beings are near us. It's how I've manage to keep this village safe for the past ninety-eight years." He answered.

Jake's mouth dropped wide open. The man across from him looked like he might be in his seventies or eighties but not nearly a hundred years old.

"I've aged well." Longwinded Sunrise chuckled merrily.

Jake laughed softly in agreement.

"I must tell you Jake it terrified me to hear that an alliance was made between a chief and a family of vampires. Imprints are supposed to help improve our tribe's genetics to create even more powerful future shape shifters not something entirely new. If you had continued your imprint with the half vampire child you might have created an entire new race. It might have been good, might have been bad. Who's to say? All I know is that now in the present I no longer see that future for you Jacob. I see something quite different. I'm sure it has surprised you that as an Alpha and a Chief that you would imprint on not one but two white women. It's not about the color of skin but what runs in the blood that makes your imprint so special." He stopped speaking as he prepared a long wooded crooked pipe. Jake watched as he lit it up, taking a few poofs then handing it around the fire to Jake.

"Smoke. Inhale deeply and long then let it out slowly. Do this a couple of times. Then I want you to close your eyes. Let the vision come to you Chief Jacob." Longwinded Sunrise ordered.

Jake followed the instructions then closed his eyes as a whole new world began to show itself to him.

Three hours later Jake left the reservation feeling a little loopy but less scared than when he first arrived.

He had found many answers in that ancient tee-pee today. He also discovered that his gut had been right all along. His imprint with Bella was definitely in place and always had been. His heart had always had the choice to choose who his imprint would be and he had chosen Bella from the moment he had seen her. The imprint had only shifted to Nessie due to her shared blood line of her mothers.

Now the hard part was going to be telling Bella that although she was married to Edward Cullen she was and always would be bound to him. They wouldn't ever be able to be separated for too long again. He just hoped he could manage to break down the barrier between her heart and his. He had to make her feel their love to understand that Edward was a thing of the past and that he was her future.


	12. Relinquish Your Heart to Me

**A/N: I just have to say "Thank-You" to those of you who have taken the time to leave reviews or hit that wonderful "Like" button. It definitely inspires my Muse when I know people are anticipating the next chpt. Wanted to give a big shout out to Jessipooks, Mist, LuvinJ, WolfgirlJB for all of you wonderful support and help with this story. xoxo**

Chapter 11: Relinquish Your Heart To Me

"Edward I have to say I thought you would be happier than this? All you have spoken of since I met you was how much you wanted your wife to return to you. She is awake and healthy and yet you still seem sad." Alex says sitting down next to him.

Alex had noted from the second he entered her temporary home that he didn't seem as overjoyed as she assumed he would be. She knew that this was his dream come true, having Bella awake again. What was bothering him exactly? Sure, it wasn't exactly heavenly that Bella had to smell so damn delicious but she knew that eventually she would be able to resist the scent and hopefully move back into the Cullen's home with the rest of her new found family. She should be the one sad at the moment not him.

"I am very happy that Bella is back." Edward chuckles.

"Then what? Is there something wrong with her? Are there side effects from the serum?" Alex studied him closely.

"I'm not sure. She …she…well, when she learned about Jake and Nessie's imprint she got a bit hysterical with me. She doesn't like for people to hold things back from her even if it's for her safety. I didn't tell her before we left the hospital. She got to see with her own two eyes the connection that Jake and Nessie share now." Edward answered.

"I thought Jake was like her best friend. You guys told me the imprint they shared was the ONLY reason you allowed him to leave with you guys. Wouldn't that be like a blessing for her? She has at least one old friend in her life." Alex replies.

"I think she is happy about seeing him and having him in our lives but before Bella and I got married, Jake was madly in love with Bella. It was hard on me at times to step between them. I felt selfish because I knew that Jake could give her a life that I couldn't, a human life. However, she chose me and I knew better than to leave her again. I promised her that I would stay for as long as she wanted me to." Edward explained giving Alex a little more details about Bella and his past together.

"Are you afraid that Bella is somehow suddenly in love with Jake?" Alex asks curiously reading between the lines.

"I think he is a part of her past that comforts her and reminds her of what she has given up in order to be here today." Edward shrugs his shoulders casually.

Alex knew it was much more than that. She had a feeling that Edward was picking up on something between Bella and Jake but wasn't about to confront either of them about it. He was walking on egg shells as it was with Bella and he didn't want to rock the boat unnecessarily.

"You make it sound like she made so many sacrifices for this life. But to me it sounds like everything she did, she knew what she was doing and she also went behind your back to put herself in that coma Edward. How can that be your fault? Bella might not like the results of her choices but they were hers. I can't see you or anyone else in that house pressuring her to give up her mortal life. I think perhaps Bella is growing up and starting to reflect on what she wants from life and whether or not this is going to be enough for her. Eternity is a very long time Edward." Alex laughed bitterly.

"Yes, it is." Edward agreed with a sad smile.

"Let's stop talking about all of this gloom and go grab a bite. I hate hunting alone and since we are away from out usual hunting ground, I thought you could come with me to help cover my back." Alex pleaded.

"Sure." Edward understood her fear of hunting alone. After smelling Bella's blood and struggling with the desire to sink her teeth into her flesh, Alex had doubts if she could resist any human again.

"Thanks Edward. You're a really good friend." Alex smiled proudly at him.

"I try." Edward grins as they walk out of the house together in pursuit of a meal to help them keep their strength up. 

* * *

><p>Bella was scared of Nessie with a credit card. She used to think that Alice was the overzealous one when it came to shopping but today she saw Nessie go berserk with the master card. If Nessie thought it was needed she purchased it, not once did she look at the price tag. It bothered Bella a little. She didn't mind spending money but when she watched Nessie have no regards for the cost of things, it definitely irked her. Nessie might act well behaved and treated everyone with polite kindness but her greediness reminded Bella of a spoiled child. She could see Nessie throwing temper tantrums in the past. Who had spoiled her exactly? Who had given her the view of life that money was nothing to be considered?<p>

Bella knew she honestly had no right to judge anyone's parenting skills when she herself was passed out all these years but she hated seeing Nessie act so much like a vampire and nothing like a human teenager. Was it possible that since she was raised by vampires she would automatically act like one? Nessie had everything. She got beauty, brains, and obviously an unlimited credit card.

Bella couldn't stop herself from wondering if Jake liked Nessie's spoiled side? Did he find it endearing that she got what she wanted no matter what? Did he encourage that behavior over the years? No, Jake had refused Nessie when she wanted to upgrade their relationship because Jake wasn't ready to do it, so he didn't. So apparently he was one of the few people in her life that stood firm with her. Bella was relieved and thrilled that he had. If she had learned that he and Nessie had been lovers she wasn't sure how she would manage to be around them. It just seems so wrong to her that Jake and Nessie had imprinted at all. It was like fate was laughing at her, reminding her that Jake had offered her his heart and she shoved it back in his face so now her daughter was getting the opportunity to enjoy all he once tried to give her.

They were taking a break sipping on a soda when Bella spied Nessie looking at her cell phone for like the umpteenth time.

"What's wrong?" Bella asks.

"Nothing. I texted Jake but he hasn't text back all day." Nessie answered. Bella saw the annoyed sparks in her daughter's beautiful eyes.

"He will when he can."

"It's not like he is patrolling or anything so why isn't he answering me?" Nessie sent another message to Jake.

"Nessie, don't push so hard. Jake cares about you. He will answer you when he can." Bella reach over patting Nessie's hand. Nessie yanks her hand away glaring angrily at Bella.

"I'm sorry." Nessie saw the fear in her mother's eyes and felt horrible for it. She knew it wasn't her mother's fault that she knew Jake better than she did. It also wasn't her fault that Jake seemed to still be in love with her mother either. Her mother hadn't once mentioned Jake's name all day. For Nessie, this was a clear sign that her mother's heart only belonged to her father and that Jake wasn't about to break up her parents happy marriage like she had feared this morning. In her nightmare last night she had seen Bella leaving the family then Jake followed her. Nessie had woken up crying her heart out. She didn't want to lose her mother and she definitely didn't want to lose Jake but what hurt the most was the idea of Jake and her mother being in love and choosing that love over her own happiness.

Alice approached the table with a new bag in her hand.

"I found something perfect for you." Alice's eyes sparkled mischievously at Bella.

"Oh did you find my breasts?" Bella looked down at her fragile body. She had lost a lot of weight and her breasts. She hadn't ever been big but she was a decent B size cup before but now she seemed to be back to a small A. What was worse was the few times she had accidentally allowed herself to stare at the scar across her stomach that reminded her of the ugliness that was left on her body from Nessie's birth.

"Very funny. They will come back. You just need to eat more. Speaking of which, Nessie go get your mom a garden burger." Alice ordered. Nessie bounced up and practically skipped to the end of the long line of customers.

"What's wrong?" Bella wasn't stupid, she knew that Alice had purposely sent Nessie away from the table to share something private with her.

"Bella I've been seeing your future changing. I fear you're not happy with us anymore." Alice spoke softly while she looked straight into Bella's eyes.

"What?" Bella exclaimed.

"I don't think you want to be like us anymore, do you?" Alice states.

"I…well...I…don't know honestly." Bella's eyes drop to her lap as she spoke the truth out loud. She knew it wasn't worth trying to deny Alice the truth. Alice saw everything eventually.

"It's okay. You can still be a part of our family even if you don't want the advantages of being exactly like us." Alice winks at her.

"I don't know if that would be so easy on me. I mean, I will grow old while you guys remain the same." Bella chewed on the corner of her lip, lifting her head up and looking directly at Alice.

"Whenever you're ready Bella you can ask Edward to change you and he will happily do it. He's eager for you to become one of us now."

"That's just it Alice. If I'm going to do it, I need to do it while I still fit in with you guys. I don't want to appear to be Edward's mother someday instead of his wife." Bella snorted.

"Why are you afraid now? What changed?" Alice asks curiously.

"I don't know. I mean it was always a little scary to think about. Rose did an excellent job of terrifying me about the uncontrollable blood lust. But now I just….I guess I wonder if this is where I belong after all." Bella scratched her head trying to find the right words to explain something that even she couldn't explain to herself.

"Do you love Edward Bella?" Alice decided to just ask the very question that was burning inside of her.

"Of course I do." Bella look startled by the question. How could anyone question her feelings for Edward? Hadn't she given up everything to prove just how much she loved him?

"I know you love him Bella but are you IN love with him? Do you still feel like he is your yang to your yin?" Alice's face remained very serious as she locked eyes with Bella's.

"Of course." Bella didn't blink an eye but inside she felt her heart hammering against her chest and a voice screaming in her head that she had just told the biggest lie ever and that Alice knew it. 

* * *

><p>Jake returned home a few minutes after Edward had. He went to take a quick shower knowing the others would smell the scent of the tribe on him. He didn't want them to know where he had been because then they would question why he went to see them. He still had so much going on in his mind and he wasn't strong enough to block it from Edward's noisy mind reading skills.<p>

When he walked out of the bathroom, he was surprised to find Bella sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Bella." Jake smiled warmly at her.

"We need to talk." Bella's voice quivered. She had managed to slip around everyone to sneak into Jake's room. She knew it wasn't wise to talk to Jake in the house but she couldn't stop herself. She had to see him. She had to be close to him. Today had been fun and a little scary at the same time. She had learned a lot about her daughter and about herself also. She had seen Nessie for the teenager she truly was. She might seem older and wiser than her young years in this world but deep down, Nessie was still a child at heart. She couldn't hurt her intentionally and as long as she kept these feelings buried for Jake, she wouldn't ever hurt Nessie.

"Yes we do. " Jake agreed pulling the towel tighter around his waist.

Bella's mouth opened wide as she slipped into a trance watching the water droplets sliding off of his body. His chest was as magnificent as she remembered. It had been so long since she saw him without a shirt. Her hands itched to touch him, her tongue ached to taste the water on his body. Her head was blurry with images of things she could do with Jake if she only asked it of him. She could see the desire he felt for her when she managed to look up at his face and into his eyes. The soft brown coloring had turned into a dark smoldering brown that warned her that like herself, he was struggling against his instincts to take her in his arms.

Jake broke off the sexual frenzy between them. Strolling to the door he closed it fully and locked it before he walked back to her.

Standing directly in front of her he looked down into her eyes. He saw the nervousness he was creating in her. Looking deeper in her eyes he saw there was also desire, a desire that she had always held for him but resisted until now. Taking her hands he pulled her up so that she was standing directly in front of him. Taking her chin in his hand he tilts it up, licking his lips he leans in closer and kisses her until they are both breathless.

Her hands roam up and down his chest and around to his backside as she clings to him for support. Her body grows weak in his arms. The taste of him sending sparks in her head.  
>Jake reluctantly pulled his mouth free from hers. He leaned his head down to press his forehead to hers.<p>

"Do you really want to talk?" He asks in a husky tone.

Bella couldn't think straight. Her body was reacting in such a way that she honestly couldn't remember what her original purpose was for coming to his room.

Her fingers slid over his shoulders and down his back.

"I honestly can't remember."

Licking her lips she continued.

"Each time you kiss me I forget everything but you," she confesses "I wish we could stay in this room forever when you kiss me like that."

He groans, his lips skimming down her slender nose and brushing briefly over her mouth.  
>"Does that bother you?" he asks.<p>

"Not like it should." Bella answers.

Jake didn't want to give her time to remember her allegiance to Edward, not now, not while they were finally connecting.

Slipping his tongue between her soft unresisting lips he claimed her mouth again with a kiss that nearly drove them both over the edge.

In this moment he didn't give a damn that she was married to someone else and that once he told her the truth about their imprint that he would totally destroy her life with Edward and the others.

He just wanted to enjoy this perfect moment. This moment when Jake and Bella was all that mattered in this crazy world they lived in.

He would tell her later. Much later.

Cradling Bella in his arms he propelled her backward, laying her on the soft mattress before covering her body with his. Her nails dug into his back as he kissed his way down the curve of her neck and lingered on the line of her collarbone.

"You taste of summer." he murmured as he trailed his tongue down to the button of her blouse. Using his teeth he pop opens the first two buttons. Bella reached between them pulling her shirt open and allowing him to see her white bra beneath it. Pushing her hands back to her side, he pulled the soft fabric aside and admired the small pink harden nipple before his tongue lavish it. He flicked it back and forth before sucking it deep into his mouth.

Bella bucked upward beneath him, her breathing was heavy with excitement.

"What does…summer…taste like?" She asks curiously as she sank deeper into the lust filled atmosphere between them.

"Honey," he whispered, his tongue continuing to tease the hard nub, "sunshine, and sugar."

Her eyes squeezed shut at his insistent caresses.

"Oh Jake."

"This is just the beginning." he promises, his hands following the slender lines of her waist.

Bella wanted to let him do whatever he desired to her willing body but something was holding her back. A small nagging sensation at the back of her head was warning her that this was not the place to share this perfect moment with him. There were too many people in the house who had supernatural hearing and foresight. If they went any further she was sure she wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Jake, wait." Bella hands knotted into Jake's hair.

"Why?" Jake moaned, reaching down to unbutton her pants.

"This…isn't the place." Bella trembled while her hands yanked on his head, trying to pull him away from her breast. Her body screaming to let it happen but her mind was taking back control.

"Your right." Jake's hands fell to the sides of her, his head lifting up to look down into her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Bella felt tears stinging in her eyes as she longed to have him inside of her. She knew it was terribly wrong to be so attracted to Jake while she was married to  
>Edward. Neither of them belonged to the other anymore. This might feel incredibly right but it was awfully wrong and downright selfish of them. She knew she was guilty of that sin in the past but she was trying to start over. She was trying to be a better person, a better friend and a decent mother.<p>

"Sorry for what exactly?" Jake asks as his eyes remained locked with hers.

"Sorry that we didn't go down this path before." Bella admits honestly.

"We still can Bella." Jake insists.

"No, we can't. It's too late. I don't have any rights to you anymore. I made my choice." Bella gulps as her chest tightens and her eyes spilled out the tears that she had held onto.

"Bella, you never had a choice to make." Jake sighed sadly as he lifted himself off of her.

"What?" Bella set up buttoning her shirt back.

"You and I aren't over Bella. Your body knows this and your heart does. The only thing that is keeping you away from me is him and Nessie but I promise that even they can't stop this. It's far stronger than anything either of us has ever felt for another." Jake ran his hands through his hair fighting back the urgency to take her in his bed right that second. He knew she would cave into her body if he wanted it badly enough. He couldn't do that to her. Not now.

If he was going to be with Bella he knew he had to share everything with her and hold back nothing.

"How can you say that?" Bella got off the bed taking a few steps away from him.

"I'm only telling you the truth Bella." Jake knew she still wasn't aware of the imprinting they had shared the moment their eyes had fallen on one another when they were reunited.

"The truth? What is your version of the truth Jake? I'm still married and you're still very imprinted with MY daughter." Bella gulped hard as a wave of guilt swirled in her heart. She had betrayed not only Edward but her daughter. She was truly a horribly selfish person.

"No I'm not." Jake whispered softy.

"What?" Bella looked at him with mistrust in her eyes. She wasn't sure what he said exactly but she feared he just told her that his imprint was no longer a problem for them.

"The imprint between Nessie and I no longer exists Bella. " Jake answered firmly and louder as he stood up staring at her with a sincere and serious face.

"How can that be?" Bella gasped.

"I…" Jake started to reveal everything to her but the next of words out of her mouth threw him off of his game plan.

"You're lying to me! That's impossible Jake. God! You would lie to me just to sleep with me?" Bella took a couple clumsy steps backwards toward the door as she looked furiously at him.

"Bella I'm not lying."

"Yes, you are. Sam, Leah, and Emily? Do those names ring a bell? I recall Sam couldn't break his imprint with Emily to be with Leah. How could you! Why?" Bella shook her head from side to side as tears spilled down her face.

"I'm not lying to you Bella. You're lying to yourself. Think about it. Why did you come here Bella? Why is it when I touch you, your body longs for me? It doesn't want him anymore, does it?" His voice grew cold as ice.

"That's not true." Bella laughed bitterly grabbing the door knob turning to prepare herself to flee from his room and from him.

"Oh really? Now who's lying Bella! You have never allowed yourself to accept what we have together. I'm sorry but you can't fight it anymore. It is what it is Bella. You and I belong together and you know it."

"NO! It is what YOU want it to be. I'm so sick of everyone telling me what I should or shouldn't want. I'm a freaking grown woman now. I …want…oh God! I've got to get out of here." Bella threw the door open wide as she started to leave the room.

"Bella you can run from it but it's always going to be there in your heart. Your love for me and my love for you is so much stronger than either of us ever knew." Jake's voice broke her heart as she heard the sincerity of his words. She wanted so badly to run into his arms and feel the peace that they offered her troubled mind but she knew that if she did, neither of them would be able to stop themselves from wanting much more.

There was the factor that he was possibly lying to her about breaking the imprint between himself and Nessie. She wanted to believe it had happened. She was such a horrible person that the very thought that he was now all hers made her heart fill with joy and pride even at the cost of breaking her daughter's little heart. She feared that she didn't belong here anymore. She had woken up from a deep slumber and discovered she could be just as sadistic as the monsters who once hunted her.

Bella took one last look at Jake before leaving his room and him with an uneasy silence between them.

* * *

><p>Bella returned to her room feeling lost and scared when she ran smack into Edward's cold strong frame. Looking up she saw his tender smile transform into a heart wrenching frown.<p>

"Where have you been?" Edward asks.

"I…got lost for a second. I …" Bella caught the way his nostrils flared up and she knew in that moment he smelled Jake all over her.

"I ran into Jake. We talked about my day with Nessie." Bella lied and was so thankful he couldn't read her thoughts.

"Oh. How was it?" Edward continued to look at her with a blank expression.

"It was good. I was surprised to see how little she thought about money. It's very obvious to me that Nessie has always gotten what she's wanted." Bella wanted to laugh at that last thought. There was one thing that Nessie wanted but it seemed only her mother was available to get it. It was sick of her to find such happiness in the fact that Jake couldn't be pressured into Nessie's bed and that his heart belonged only to her. She would never have to share Jake with Nessie in the way that really mattered to her.

"That's not true. I've put my foot down and set a limit many times." Edward scoffed.

"Oh. Well, she definitely enjoys the benefits of belonging in a family that wants for nothing." Bella remarked rudely.

Edward cocked an eyebrow staring harder at her.

"So you think it's wrong that she enjoys what we offer her? We can provide her with much happiness, security, and of course material things so that makes her what? A brat?"

"NO! I didn't mean it like that Edward. I just think that you guys give her too much. She will have a hard time accepting rejection from others if you don't teach her how to handle it from those who are supposed to guide her and love her." Bella replied.

"Sorry Bella but Nessie's existence was such a miraculous thing that we were beside ourselves with happiness. She is our angel. We love her and will protect her with our very lives. I guess as her mother I can see why you fear that she has been given perhaps too much without having to earn it."

Bella felt her body relaxing.

"Exactly." Bella swallowed hard.

"So what did you have to say to Jake about all of this?" Edward asks curiously.

"Just that I think he is a good influence on her." Bella said simply, stepping around him so she could enter the room.

"I see. So you feel that I'm not a good influence on our daughter?" Edward asks.

"I never said that Edward."

"I can hear it in your tone. Shouldn't Jake be the one you feel is the biggest influence on our daughter's behavior? After all, they share more time together. She listens whole heartedly to him. He has been her moon and sun since she was born." Edward wasn't sure why but he felt like he had to point out that Jake held a big part of the responsibility of raising Nessie along with them.

"I know that." Bella rubbed her head trying to find a way to end this conversation. She didn't feel good. She was tired, hungry and frustrated. If they continued to talk at this point it would just end badly for the both of them.

"Then explain how he IS the good influence?" Edward demanded.

Bella wanted to scream at him. This whole conversation made no damn sense to her. It had been one she had simply created to cover up the fact that Jake's scent was all over her body. She wasn't ready to tell Edward that when she was alone with Jake all she could think about was his hands touching her, the feel of his lips against her skin and the way she wanted to lose herself in his arms. No, she wasn't ready to tell him or anyone else for that matter about the strangely drawn connection she felt with Jake. It was entirely new to her and entirely bizarre, yet it also made perfect sense. Being with Jake was always such a natural thing. He knew how to bring out the best in her.

"I don't know Edward!" Bella exclaims throwing her hands up in the air, slapping them down against her thighs.

"Can I just take a bath and grab a bite to eat before we speak another word to one another?" Bella pleaded.

"Fine." Edward pursed his lips together and glared at her.

"Fine." Bella reach into the closet, grabbing a housecoat then went inside the bathroom.

Locking the door behind her she leaned against it for a few minutes wondering how in the world she was going to be able to hide these intense feelings for Jake from Nessie or Edward? It wasn't possible. Eventually everyone would see it. She felt her legs buckle underneath her as it occurred to her that these foreign feelings that she was experiencing and arguing with were the very ones she had originally fought against when Edward had left her. They were the same feelings she had felt on the mountain when Jake kissed her and she foresaw a vision of her and Jake together in a possible future.

She knew what this was now. It wasn't just lust that she was experiencing, it was much deeper and complex. It was love. She was in love with Jake again. Hell, who was she kidding, she had never fallen out of love with Jake. No, instead she had chosen to love someone else instead, someone she agreed to marry. Edward. She was bound to Edward until death do them part.

Tears trickled down her face as she considered the fact that Edward would outlive her because she had no plans of becoming one of them. She knew this would upset some of them and perhaps give one of them a bit of satisfaction.

Whatever happened from this point on the only thing she knew she wanted the most in this world was Jake.


	13. The Unhidden Truth

Unwavering Chpt. 12: Unraveling The Imprint

Jake was leaving his room when Edward appeared out of the blue. Edward's expression warned Jake that he was in a foul mood. He wondered if Bella had told him what they had done in his room earlier. He doubted it but it was always a possibility so he braced himself for an attack.

"I can't believe it. I mean…I wondered but now I know." Edward stood frozen in place as he glared angrily at Jake.

"You know what?" Jake crossed his arms over his chest trying harder than hell to keep his thoughts rational and away from the truth.

"You and Bella. You still love her. How is that possible? Nessie is your imprint Jake, you can't love anyone else." Edward cried out painfully.

"I've always loved Bella that isn't ever going to change." Jake shrugged his shoulders calmly.

"Why are you so damn stubborn? Why can't you just be happy with what you share with Nessie? What are you hiding from me Jake?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me. I've treated you fairly since you've become a part of this family."

"I'm aware of how you've treated me over the years Edward."

"Then why are you doing this now? Our lives can move forward at last. You knew when you joined us that Bella was eventually going to make the change. Why are you trying to stop it now?" Edward had picked up on some of his thoughts right before he had arrived in Jake's area of the house. He knew that Jake was thinking about how relieved he was that his love for Bella had returned before she made the fatal mistake of changing into one of them. What had happened between them that would make Jake think that Bella no longer wanted to be like them?

Ever since Bella discovered that they were vampires she had wanted nothing more than to become one of them. She hated being so weak and having to depend on them to protect her and he also knew she feared aging. He found it hard to believe that she suddenly no longer wanted to be a vampire. There was no reason to stop her from becoming one now. Yet, according to Jake's thoughts she was having doubts and he was over the top happy about it.

"What did you do to her? Why would you think that Bella wouldn't want to be one of us anymore?" Edward demanded.

"I didn't do anything to change her mind. I just know that she won't do it." Jake answered with a big smirk across his face.

"That's absurd. It's all she has ever wanted besides me." Edward no longer held confidence in his voice as he spoke.

"Look Edward people change. It's our human nature to change our minds. I know this might be hard for you to understand since you're no longer human but it happens." Jake replied with a cold tone.

Edward attempted to grab him.

"Get your hands off of me." Jake's eyes flashed dangerously between Edward's face and his hand.

"You better tell me what's going on Jake. She is my wife and Nessie is my daughter. I won't stand by and let you hurt either of them." Edward took his hand off of Jake but his eyes continued to glare furiously.

"I know." Jake looked down at his feet momentarily while his heart leaped anxiously. He had to get away and fast. It was hard as hell to keep his thoughts away from the imprint and Bella when he was filled with rage.

"What has happened Jake? I know that Nessie is having a difficult time since her mother returned to us. She is acting differently. Is she aware of your feelings for Bella ?" Edward had intended to talk to Nessie today about her concerns. He had heard her thoughts at dinner last night. She was struggling with her feelings for Jake. She kept thinking that something had changed between them. Edward had chalked it up as her over reacting from her weekend away with Jake. He knew that they hadn't become lovers yet and that seemed to make Nessie fear that he would never desire her.

"She is aware that Bella and I share a history that goes a little deeper than just friends." Jake shook his head in agreement.

"That's all you two were? Friends." Edward spat rudely.

"Whatever makes you feel all warm and secure Edward." Jake rolled his eyes while looking at Edward with a tense smile.

Edward stood in the hallway searching through Jake's mind. It wasn't easy. When he did manage to force his way through Jake's off handed thoughts he found what he was looking for. Jake wasn't Nessie's imprint. Jake was worried about how she would handle the change in their relationship. What really bothered Jake more was the fact that he was now imprinted with Bella and that it would hurt Nessie to learn he loved her mother and always had. Edward's fist flew by Jake's head as it smashed into the wall. Jake blinked but didn't move a muscle. He knew that Edward found what he was searching for.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Edward pressed his eyes tightly together and began to replay how Bella had looked when she arrived to their room earlier. She had seemed extremely agitated and quick to argue with him from the moment her eyes landed on him. Was it possible that Bella already knew that she had imprinted with Jake? How could she not? Why would she hide that from him? Was she in denial? Why would she chose to keep it from him, he knew that ultimately this would tear them apart.

What did this mean for them? Bella wouldn't want to remain married to him when her heart belonged to Jake. No, she would definitely want out of this marriage and probably out of the family entirely. What did this mean for Nessie? How could he possibly explain to Nessie that her mother no longer wanted to be in their family and that she was now Jake's imprint.

Edward put another hole in the wall when he read that last thought. His eyes widen with shock, his body shook uncontrollably.

The entire subject of imprinting made him sick to his stomach. He wished that he had never come across the wolves and especially Jake. The boy was a constant pain in his ass.

"You shouldn't go looking in other people's heads Edward. I've warned you before you won't like what you find in my mine. Now you know. What do you plan to do about it?" Jake knew he was pushing Edward's buttons but he really didn't care. It was Edward's fault for being so damn noisy.

"I…this is impossible." Edward wanted to slam his fists into Jake's arrogant face but knew if he touched him physically he wouldn't be able to stop and he didn't need Jake going all wolf on him in the house.

"I felt the same way Edward but I got confirmation today. She belongs to me. She always did." Jake replied with genuine compassion in his voice.

He tried hard not to rub it in Edward's face that he had been right all along about Bella and himself. He told Edward more than once if he had just left and never came back that Bella would've fallen in love with him and that her feelings went deeper than friendship but like Bella he refused to consider it a possibility. Edward had been so blinded by the love that he had ignored the signs thatwere always there.

"She is still my WIFE, Jake. Don't say anything to her yet. This will destroy any kind of relationship she ever hoped to have with Nessie. " Edward begged but he knew that Jake was far too excited about the turn of events that he wouldn't heed his warning. The boy had always been quick to react and horrible at listening to reasoning.

"I know she is your wife but she is my imprint. She is my first priority now. I will do what's best for Bella."

"I understand all of that Jake but I'm warning you, she won't like it."

"I know that. I know it won't be her dream come true but it's happen Edward. She will accept it and she will be with me and only me." Jake's voice deepens as his undertone warns Edward that hedidn't have any plans of sharing Bella despite their marital status.

Edward's hands grasped Jake's shoulders shoving him into the wall, leaving a dent the entire size of Jake's body in it.

"Don't do this Edward. You won't win." Jake's voice boomed and his eyes glowed with a darkish and deadly tint that warned Edward that Jake would phase very soon if he didn't release his hold on him.

Taking a few steps back Edward throws his hands up in a sign of defeat.

"I have to go." Edward cried out as he sped by Jake before he released his anger and disappointment on Jake and they both knew that if that ever happened one of them would end up dead.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"Edward, you don't look good." Jasper comments as he makes his way toward his brother. He had been out in the woods finishing up his hunt when he felt a strong current of pain, sorrow and despair in the area. He was surprised to discover that these emotions belonged to Edward. He couldn't imagine why he would be feeling like this. He finally had everything going right for him.

"I don't feel so good either." Edward chuckled bitterly as he set on his knees looking across the pond.

"I can tell. What's bothering you? You feel like you need a friend." Jasper laughs lightly reminding him that he can sense his emotions and if he needed him to, he could help lighten his load.

"I need a miracle. Isn't that funny? I thought I had received a miracle when Nessie came into my life. I thought I had received a second miracle when Bella finally woke up." Edward shakes his head as he fights back the anger that was boiling underneath his icy skin.

"How many miracles does one man get in a lifetime?" Edward continued as he pounded his fist in the ground.

"What are you talking about Edward? What has happened?" Jasper knelt down beside himand placed one hand on his shoulder. He knew he wouldn't like it but he sent some comforting emotions through his brother. He needed to calm down and think rationally and right now Jasper feared his brother wasn't capable of doing it himself.

"Jake and Nessie are no longer imprinted." Edward said the words out loud and yet he still couldn't let his brain believe it.

"What?" Jasper choked. He began to recall Alice's visions of Bella and Jake and how she believed that Bella wouldn't become one of them instead she would choose a life with Jake. Was it possible that Bella was going to leave Edward to return to her old life with Jake? That couldn't be right, everyone knew that Bella couldn't return to Forks. They believed she was dead. How would she explain her return from the dead?

"I don't know how but it's true. I read Nessie's thoughts and she has been feeling the change between her and Jake. Jake hasn't told her yet why they aren't as close. It seems that he went in search for the answers and he knows for sure now that the imprint they shared is no longer there. He is free to leave this family." Edward's voice was fierce while he pounded the ground several more times.

"Okay, so Jake can leave. Wouldn't that solve some of your worries? I mean you weren't exactly happy to call Jake your future son in law when it first happened." Jasper asks trying to lighten up the conversation and Edward's anger.

"It would be if Jake had plans on going away by himself. But he won't. He is going to take his new imprint with him." Edward answers.

Jasper felt the increase in Edward's pain when he looked into his eyes.

"His NEW imprint?" Jasper had a bad feeling he already knew who the new imprint was but he hoped like hell he was wrong.

"Bella." Jasper whispered.

Edward shook his head in answer and then jump up on his feet. Reaching out he lifted trees and brushes and threw them about in a horrid rage. Jasper watched as Edward created an entirely new landscape while trying to release all of his pain and anger out on the environment before he went back to the house to face Bella and tell everyone that his wife was now Jake's true imprint.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Bella was restless. She had already taken a bath and grabbed a quick dinner in the kitchen. She wondered where everyone was tonight. Normally she couldn't walk down the hall without stumbling over someone.

Walking out of the house she stood on the front porch staring up at the starry night.

"Bella." Jake called to her in a raspy voice.

Bella felt little goose bumps move up and down her arms and back.

"Jake." Bella whispers softly out into the darkness.

"Come here. We need to talk." Jake calls out to her.

Bella takes a step off the porch and looks back and forth to try and locate Jake. Everything was so dark and she feared that someone or something else might be out there trying to trick her. She knew there was no real danger to her anymore but it was a hard habit to kick.

"Jake where are you?" Bella calls out nervously.

A few seconds later she spots Jake pushing his motorcycle out from behind a large oak tree. Bella wondered why he was hiding behind the tree. Why did he look like he was about to sneak off and never return?

"Bella, come on." Jake calls out softly.

Bella looks back at the safety of the house and then back out into the darkness where Jake stood waiting for her to join him. Her instincts warned her that there was danger out there. She wasn't sure if it was a physical or emotional danger but she knew that if she went to Jake she was going to somehow alter her future. It surprised her more than Jake when she took that step off the porch and ran swiftly to his side.

"What**'**sgoing on?" Bella whispered, sensing the need to keep their conversation as private as possible.

"I want to take you somewhere. Come on." Jake took her armand helped her onto the back of his bike. Bella went willingly and excitedly.

"Why are we being so secretive?" Bella wrapped her arms around Jake's waist, pressing her head against his strong back.

"You'll see." Jake laughs softly before revving up the bike and taking off before anyone could try to stop them.

Now that Edward was aware of the imprint between Jake and Bella, he feared that Edward might try to sneak Bella out of the house and far away from him.

Jake knew there was one way he would bind Bella to him in such a way that even Edward wouldn't have a fighting chance to win her back.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Nessie returned from her hunt with Alice and Rose when she watched as Alice nearly fell to her knees. She was holding both sides of her head while her eyes grew wide with shock.

"What is it?" Rose asks curiously as she holds onto Alice trying to prevent her from falling down on her face.

"I get it now. Oh my god! How cruel, so sad and cruel." Alice looked at Nessie then at Rose. Both women waited patiently for her to elaboratea little more about what she had seen and why she thought it was so cruel and sad.

"Nessie you know, don't you." Alice stared hard and deep into Nessie's blue eyes.

"What?" Nessie frowned at her Aunt for a few moments before it dawned on her what she believed Alice saw. It was the very thing that she had feared for weeks now.

"I'm no longer imprinted with him. It's broken." Nessie's hands reached up covering both of her cheeks as they heated up from the fear and anguish.

Alice nodded her head in agreement.

"What? That's impossible! How could Jake and Nessie's imprint be broken? Doesn't Jake have to have an imprint?" Rose cried out in disbelief.

"He always had one. We just didn't see it before now." Alice pulled Nessie into her arms as she sobbed loudly, her body shaking with grief.

"What are you talking about?" Rose shouted angrily as she watched Nessie fall apart in Alice's arms. She didn't like seeing Nessie this upset and she wasn't sure what was going on and that made her feel extremely uneasy.

Carlisle and Esme entered the room after hearing Rose's angry shout.

"What's going on?" Carlisle demands lookingas puzzled as Rose was.

"It happened Carlisle. We couldn't stop it." Alice said over Nessie's head.

Carlisle knew immediately what she was speaking of. Jake and Nessie were no longer imprints. His heart ached for Nessie. He knew that her heart still belonged to Jake despite the magical tie that once connected them. She adored Jake and grew up imagining him to be her prince charming.

"Where is Jake?" Carlisle asks suddenly wondering why Jake wasn't here to comfort Nessie. They might not be imprinted but he knew that Jake cared deeply for Nessie all the same.

"I don't know." Rose shrugs her shoulders still not sure what the hell was going on exactly.

"Where is Edward?" Esme like Rose was still a bit confused about all the details but she was pretty sure that Edward would want to hear about this.

"I'm here." Edward and Jasper walked into the room. Edward saw the pain his daughter was suffering from and had a sinking feeling that everyone knew already that Bella and Jake were the new imprints in this family of oddities.

"What happened?" Edward reached out to Nessie pulling her into his chest. She continued to weep and refused to make eye contact with anyone.

"You knew. Jake and Nessie's imprint is broken. You also know who he wants now." Alice accuses him.

"I wasn't sure until a few hours ago." Edward admits.

"What do you mean? Who he wants now?" Nessie pulls her head out of Edward's chest and looks up at her father and then at Alice for answers to her questions.

"I believe that Jake was always imprinted with Bella but neither of them knew it because it happened before he phased. I think when she met Edward our glamour held more power over than we suspected. She wanted so badly to be like us, to be with us, that she blocked the imprint from entering her heart. When she woke up this time however, she had no reason to block anything that Jake had to offer. She was vulnerable and hadn't been under your spell long enough to keep the imprint from happening this time." Alice watched as Edward's face crumbled.

Nessie took a few steps away from her father staring at him with great disgust.

"You knew that they were possibly imprinted before you married her?" Nessie looks astonished and mortified.

"Not entirely. When I returned from Italy I had read some of Jake's thoughts and it seemed that the two of them had grown very close to one another. He seemed more intense with his feelings for her. Neither of them could stand to be apart for too long. She seemed happy with me but if she wasn't allowed to see Jake she would become quite agitated. I just thought it was a silly friendship turn to crush, nothing more. She felt she owed Jake for saving her on several occasions. Nothing else. You know hero worship." Edward's eyes pleaded with Nessie and the others to understand that he was never one hundred percent positive just how far Bella's feelings were returned for Jake. He couldn't read her mind and all he had to go on was Jake's feelings. Surely, they could see why that wasn't enough to bank his entire future on. Jake was smitten like a love sick pup with Bella but that didn't necessarily mean they were destine to be together.

"So when Bella died temporarily the imprint should have disappeared between them but instead it somehow shifted to Nessie. Maybe it sensed the connection through the shared bloodline. Nessie would be like second runner up but it was never truly strong enough to take hold on Jake's heart because Bella didn't really die. I suppose while she was in the coma it resided in Nessie until Bella woke up to reclaim it?"Carlisle looked frazzled as he tried to make sense of how this had all happened. He hadn't much experience with imprints. He had no need to really understand them until Bella had come into their family. The young girl had changed their lives in good and bad ways. He loved Bella and she would always be a like a daughter to him but he wondered if he shouldn't have encouraged the relationship between her and his son now.

They might have saved themselves a lot of trouble and heartaches if he hadn't aided their forbidden love affair. Then his eyes landed on Nessie and realized that if he hadn't been on their side then Nessie wouldn't be here today. Perhaps some good did come out of all the trouble they endured over the last few years. If nothing else, Edward would always have Nessie and in that way he would always have a big part of Bella and the tragic love they had for a short time.

"Where are Bella and Jake?" Esme ask the most important question of the moment.

All of them shared a mutual look of fear and doom.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The cold air of the night whipped at Bella's thin fabric. She was wishing she had put on a jacket before she stepped out of the house. The only thing keeping her from freezing entirely was the warmth she felt from holding onto Jake. She smiled as she recalled the evening that he had first really held her in his arms**,** and she had commented on how warm he was. Tears of happiness formed in her eyes as she also remembered how they had almost kissed but her fear of falling in love with Jake had held her back. She knew that Jake was right for her and that terrified her. She wanted something bigger and better for her life. She had grown up in such an ordinary and boring world that the fear of her twilight years being just as simple held her back from experiencing Jake's love.

She knew it was childish and even selfish on her part but when Edward showed her a supernatural world, one where she could also join in on the power, she was too tempted to go back to ordinary no matter how much her heart wanted Jake instead.

She felt the motorcycle slowing down as Jake parked in an unfamiliar driveway.

"Where are we?" Bella looked around and noted that everything seemed so quiet and serene where they were. She couldn't hear anything but silence around them.

"This is my place. I come here sometimes to get away." Jake explains while getting off of the bike and helping her off next.

Bella squinted her eyes to look at an old log cabin. It reminded her a little of the old houses in La Push.

"Is it yours?" Bella had a strange feeling that they were trespassing. She knew that Jake didn't hold a job so his funds had to be pretty low.

"Yes, it's mine. I sort of got a big loan from the Cullen's when I first joined them. I began to make money of my own and returned every penny they had given me. I don't like to owe anyone." Jake stated firmly.

"How? How did you make money if you are always moving from year to year?" Bella wasn't sure if she truly believed him about making his own income with a family that often showered others with their wealth.

"Just trust me. This is entirely my own." Jake laughs as he takes her hand while leading her up the rickety steps and unlocks the door. Flipping a light switch on, Bella was amazed at how entirely different the inside appeared compared to the outside of the house.

It had definitely been upgraded. The wood on the floors shined as if they had been recently waxed. There wasn't much furniture, just a chair and a small sofa with a large rug in the center of the room where a large fireplace was put to center the room perfectly.

"It's beautiful." Bella whispers while wondering what the rest of the house looked like. What she had managed to see from the outside she knew it wasn't very big. She liked cozy much better than grand size. It was one of the reasons the Cullen house always made her feel like a guest rather than a resident**.**

"Thanks." Jake started up a fire while Bella sat down on the edge of the chair watching him.

"How many rooms?" Bella asks curiously.

"Just one." Jake answers with his back toward her.

Bella felt her heart skip erratically as she imagined what he needed with just the one room. She couldn't help but wonder if Jake had ever brought Nessie here and if she had been in that bedroom. Shaking the repulsing thoughts from her mind she forced herself to think about the present. She couldn't change anything that had happened in the past while she was in the coma.

"Why are we here Jake?" Bella swallows hard as she feels the tension in the room starting to change into something entirely different.

He turned to look at her but said nothing. The silence was so long that she feared he was going to refuse to answer her question. Then with obvious reluctance, he opened his mouth and the words that followed started a ripple effect that made her heart fill with joy and passion.

"You make me feel."

"I make you feel what?"

"Everything."

She blinked in confusion. "I'm afraid that's a little broad, Jake."

Drawing closer he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

"You make my head spin with emotions. I'm never sure where I stand with you."

Good she thought, it was only fair that he felt some of the confusion she often felt about him.

"And." She prompted.

"And no matter how many times I tried and honestly I did TRY Bella, I can't stop loving you. I am and always will be in love with you. Nothing can ever possibly change my feelings for you." He said through gritted teeth.

Bella's mouth was dry as her heart gave a sharp jerk. Oh lord, she knew precisely how he felt. As much as she had fought it in the past she couldn't force her heart to truly let Jake go.

Looking back when Jake wasn't available to her she felt as if a big part of her was missing. She had seen him as immature when he purposely stayed away from her. Now looking back she recalled him keeping away usually came after she argued with him that she loved Edward and only Edward.

His eyes darken, his hands gripping her narrow waist, pulling them so close that she could feel his breath on her face. Her lower stomach muscles clenched tightly as she anticipated his lips on hers. She was starting to feel the familiar ache of needing him deep within her.

She made a soft sound, **s**omething between a moan and a sigh. This was enough encouragement for Jake to make his next move. Cradling her head as he brushed his lips lightly over her mouththey both felt the sparks fluttering between them.It was barely a butterfly of a touch but it was enough to send lightning bolts of excitement through her. The man was a walking, talking sexual temptation and she was very susceptible to him.

Her fingers dug into the corded muscles of his arms as her body gravitated closer to him. There was a need in her that was so powerful that she truthfully believed it went beyond mere sex, she realized with a faint flutter of panic.

Sensing her readiness for his touch, Jake wrapped his arms around her and deepened his kiss. With a growing insistency, his tongue pressed between her lips, tasting her moist heat with a hunger that matches his own.

Her head was spinning and her body screaming for more. She could feel his fierce need for her through the coiled hardness of his body and the restless movements of his hands as they traveled down her back and cupped her ass cheeks as his hardness grinded against her, creating a powerful friction in her pelvis.

She heard a soft low growl escape his mouth as he nipped at the corners of her mouthwhile trailing his tongue along her jaw.

"I've waited so long for you Bella. I've got to have you. Now. Right now." he muttered as he buried his face in the curve of her neck.

Bella knew this was the point of no return in their relationship. If she rejected him this could be the last time she was ever given this opportunity with him. Ever since she woke up all she could think about was all the missed chances she had lost out on and this was one of those chances. The chance to have Jake show her how much he loved her and how wonderful sex could be between two warm blooded people.

Although there was Edward to consider and the fact that they were married, her desire for Jake was stronger than her commitment to Edward. She knew that Edward would see this as an act of adultery and she would probably lose an immense amount of respect from the others, however she still couldn't resist the offer Jake was giving her.

None of those things or the people who were supposed to matter the most in her life could keep her away from Jake. She wanted this. She had wanted this for longer than she would have ever admitted to Jake or Edward. One night with Jacob Black would hopefully be enough to keep her warm and satisfied when she lay next to her husband who she swore she would be with for all eternity.


	14. Her Heart, Body and Soul

Unwavering Chpt. 13: Her Heart, Body, and Soul

Her entire body shook with a surge of desire. Struggling to recall why she shouldn't just rip off his clothes and have her way with him, Bella gave a faint shake of her head.

"Wait," she protested in a breathless voice. "I want to do this but…I'm afraid. I…just don't know if we should. I mean, the last time gave in to my hormones I ended up pregnant and dying." Bella gulped hard as the memories of her unexpected pregnancy began to resurface. All the horrible pain she had endured in order to give Nessie life despite what everyone thought she should do about the unwanted pregnancy.

"It won't be like that with us. Do you feel this Bella? This magnetic pulse that draws you to me. Can you feel the heat between us? I need you and I will protect you from anything and everything. You and I deserve to know the truth. Let me make love to you to prove I'm right. Let our bodies experience what our hearts already know." Jake reached in his back pocket pulling out his wallet, digging in it to pull out the condom that Rose had given him for his intended weekend with Nessie.

"I don't know Jake, I'm married. I might not be attracted to Edward like I once was, but I have to be loyal to him. I owe him that." Bella covered her face with her hands as tears trickled down her face.

"Bella, look at me. Damn it." Jake pulled her hands away roughly as he stared deep into her eyes. His face was filled with anguish and pain but what shook her to the core was the love that she saw beneath it all.

"Your human Bella. You have human needs. Do you really want to be with Edward like this, flesh to flesh? I don't think you do. You need warmth in your life, you need your sun not the coldness of the night. You shouldn't have to live in darkness when you can have all the sunshine you will ever need with me." Jake's voice was hoarse as he struggled to fight back the urge to yell at her instead of maintaining a calm voice.

"I …no….I don't but that doesn't mean I should cheat on him either."

"Bella, listen to me, I'm no longer Nessie's imprint. When you woke up, it changed everything. I belong to you now. Always have." Jake licked his lips as he swallowed hard, his body trembling as he sucked in a deep, long breath. He was taking a risk by telling her the truth now before he had closed the deal between them.

"Nessie doesn't have to know about us. Edward might figure it out but he already said before if you chose me then he would walk away. I don't think a piece of paper signed by the two of you saying your married should be the only reason you should stay with him. I've asked you before and I'm going to ask you again Bella, please, choose me." Jake pressed their foreheads together as tears gleamed in his eyes.

"Okay." Bella relented as she heard Jake exhale long and loud in relief.

Heat rippled through her when Jake's hands reached down to pull the hem of her shirt up and over her head. She stood there with only her bra and pants on. Licking his lips he reach around and with inexperience hands unlatched her bra, pulling it off of her. Bella felt her cheeks grow hot, her arms instantly went up to cover her naked chest.

"No. Don't. I want to look at you." Jake tugged at her arms, pulling them down to her side.

"Jake…I'm ugly. I mean…the birth it left me…scarred." Bella's lips trembled with fear. She hoped that once he saw her completely in the nude he wouldn't regret regretting pursuing her. She knew she was no longer flawless and a guy as gorgeous and sweet as Jake could easily find a more physically perfect woman than her.

"I don't see scars Bella. I only see the woman I fell in love with all those years ago." Jake's words extinguish her own self disgust as she looked deeply into his eyes and knew he was speaking the truth, straight from his heart.

Bella cried out in utter bliss as she threw her arms around his neck and placed tender kisses all over his face.

With fluid ease he lifted her off her feet and took her to lay down in front of the fire.

"Where are you going?"

Jake had gently set her down on the floor, turning he walked away from her.

"Hold on. Be right back. Don't move a muscle."

Jake returned a few minutes later with a blanket and a couple of fluffy pillows.

"I know the floor is nice to look at but it's not soft to sleep on." Jake explains as he lifts her head up to place a pillow underneath it. Setting the blanket next to her, he stands back up and starts the task of taking off his own clothes. Bella was amazed at how beautiful his body remained. Once he was completely naked, Bella couldn't stop herself from staring at his hardness. Other than Edward she had never seen another penis before.

"Let me." Jake unbuttonedher pants and pulled them down along with her panties**.** Pushing them toward his pile of clothes. Bella covered her face with both of her hands. She was completely nude and he was also. It was scary and exhilarating to be completely naked with him, to be fully exposed and open to his eyes and hands.

Leaning over her body, he stared into her eyes watching the light of the flames across her pale skin. It sadden him to see how fragile her body had become from laying in that hospital bed for the past five years. He knew she would soon be back in shape and her curves would return replacing the emancipated woman beneath him.

A sense of absolute serenity settled in his heart while his body was smoldering with a growing desire.

Bella was thinking ab**o**uthow aggravating, stubborn, arrogant and childish Jake could be at times but how none of that matter. She knew this was where she belonged. This was where she wanted to be.

In his arms.

Moving up so he could kiss her again he felt the brush of her silky skin against his. He felt the sparks of passion ignite as his cock twitch anxiously against her leg.

"You're so beautiful. Inside and out," he said in a husky tone as his mouth covered hers.

Breaking away from their kiss Bella shivered beneath the heat of his gaze. There was a raw need etched across his boyish features she had never seen before. He looked at her as if he hadn't seen her in years rather than the few hours they were apart earlier in the day.

Swallowing the strange lump in her throat, she laid passive as he stroked his hand down the curves of her body from her neck down to her thighs.

"I'm scared Jake." Bella admits as her body quivers from his soft strokes.

"Why?" Jake looked alarmed.

"I'm scared that this will change everything about you, me and everyone else who should matter to us."

"It will change us Bella. I won't lie to you. I know that our lovemaking could hurt others but we've denied ourselves this moment for so long. It's not fair to us to suffer just because we don't want to hurt them. We are hurting ourselves by refusing this. I'm afraid that they might not understand right away but eventually they will forgive us Bella. They have to." Jake brushed his lips over hers.

"You make it sound so simple and God knows I want to believe you but honestly, I know this is wrong and for what it's worth, I can't lie to you anymore. I can't say that this feeling between us isn't there. It's always been there but I'm afraid. I've been so damn weak, so I denied it to myself and to my heart." Bella felt tears trickle down the sides of her face as she opened her heart up and finally set herself free.

"I love you Bella. You are the only one who will hold have my heart from this night forth." Jake promised.

"I love you too." Bella smiles tenderly, reaching up to cup his face between her hands, pulling him back down for a long and passionate kiss.

"Mmm….so damn hot blooded." Bella moans as her hands roam up and down his muscular arms.

"Your sun, your wolf." Jake mumbles while nipping on her ear lobe.

"My wolf." Bella smiles proudly. She hadn't seen his wolf since she had come back to him. She suddenly found herself excited at seeing that side of him again. She always admired the strength and power he carried within him.

"All yours. Only yours." Jake growls, dipping his head down to taste her breast, lavishing equal attention back and forth between each harden pink pebble.

Forcing his mouth to release her tasty nipples he looks up at her face. Her eyes were drowsy with desire. Her mouth was held half way open. Using his thumb to lazily rub across her bottom lip, he felt his stomach muscles knot up.

"Do you want to do this Bella? I need to hear you say you want this." Jake's voice deepens in a shaky tone that made Bella's eyes widen with concern.

Instead of speaking she slip her mouth over his thumb. She didn't think. Shedidn't want to. She knew if she allowed her brain to function she would lose the nerve to do what her heart demanded. It wanted to give Jake a chance. It wanted her to feel something that it knew existed between her and Jake.

Excitement filled her veins, she latched on to his thumb and drew it deeper into her mouth.

Jake gulped hard.

His eyes darkened and his mouth fell open in shock. The feel of her velvet tongue brushing against his thumb only made the pain in his cock worsen but in a great way. He feared if she kept this up he wouldn't make it much longer. His balls ached for release . His heart roared inside of his chest. Or was that the wolf? Either way he knew he had to pick up the pace or he would make a mess of this evening. He had to show her that she belonged to him. He had to make her HIS and only HIS so when they returned home there was no way any of them could dispute his claim on her heart or her body.

Her breasts grew achy, her belly fluttered and watching Jake enjoying the feel of her mouth around his finger was an aphrodisiac, for sure.

"Touch me, " she whimpered. "No holding back anymore."

In a very tentative motion, he cupped her cheek, the pressure so feather light she barely felt it. His gaze was so full of wonder as he stroked her skin.

"I hope I don't do this wrong." His voice cracked as he cleared his throat.

"I doubt you could do anything wrong, especially not sex. Remember your a beast inside." Bella moaned, arching her body up, grinding against him.

He nuzzled against her throat, nipping and kissing.

"I'm going to have you now and forever Bella." His eyebrows shot up, and then a very naughty smile turned up his mouth.

"Take me. Make me yours." Bella begged.

God this was unreal, so damn surreal to him. He had dreamed of this moment for so damn long but when he imprinted on Nessie, he had given up all hope for this fantasy to ever bare fruit. Now that his imprint was broken with Nessie and had returned to it's rightful owner, the only thing he feared was Bella's reaction once he told her that they shared something more powerful than love. Imprinting. Would she believe him? Would she refuse to accept her place in his life even after sharing this incredible night together? He prayed that she would for once listen to reason, listen to her heart and not fight what was always meant to happen between them.

Shoving his thoughts aside he returned his attention to Bella and her heavenly body. His mouth actually watered as his palms drifted upward from her ankles to her thighs. He couldn't stand it a second longer, leaning in closer to the junction between her legs, he inhaled her sweet scent. It called to him, it beckon him to taste and explore what had always belonged to him.

He nuzzled the inner walls of her dripping sex. Tilting his face further between her legs, he closed his lips over her succulent core.

Bella's breath hitched and he heard the slap of her hands against the wooden floor as she braced herself.

"Ohhh….goooodddd…" Bella moaned, her head moving back and forth as the riveting shocks of pleasure swirled in the pit of her stomach.

He had never wanted anything more in his life and this moment was definitely going in his top ten of best moments of his life. Tasting Bella was like eating forbidden fruit. He would die a happy man if this was all she was willing to give him but he knew it wouldn't be. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her.

Tonight there was no return. Tonight he was going to explore her from the inside, out.

His tongue swept back and forth lightly over her swollen sex, savoring her growing anticipation.

"Stop teasing me…Jake. Oh…goddd….yessss…" she sobbed , angling her hips upward to bring her even closer to his wonderful mouth.

He rubbed his face against her thighs, brushing his lips over her core, taunting and teasing her. More slowly than he thought he would ever be capable of, he slipped his tongue in her slick valley while spreading her so he could ease his fingers inside of her. He worked her diligently with his fingers and his tongue, picking up where his tongue gave her the most pleasure.

He gave, but he also took, and as his tongue delved into her juices, he swallowed her like a man with out water for days. She was so soft, smooth and rich and fuck, he could spend all night right here between her legs, just tasting her for hours.

"Oh, yes," she bucked crazily, "Right ….thereee."

He knew she was close to her orgasm and as much as he wanted to prolong it to pleasure her more with his mouth, he had to find his own release.

He captured her core with his lips and sucked gently, swirling his tongue at the same time.

Her release hit with so much force that her pleasure actually rocked through him, reminding him of how they were truly connected as one. Her body shook, her arms flopped at her sides, her breathing slowed down after she cried out his name at the top of her lungs. He was glad he hadn't taken her back in the Cullen's household there was no way they wouldn't have gotten caught. He smiled wickedly. He liked the knowledge that his sweet, timid Bella was a screamer.

God, his cock was so rock hard, rubbing the blunt tip across her juicy core, he wanted to take her but a small part of him wanted to savor this moment. He knew that there would be many more days and nights that he would spend making love toBella, he had seen it.

Tonight was special, it was unique because it would be their very first time to make love and seal their imprint to one another for eternity. He would never long for another woman, never see another as beautiful as her and he couldn't wait until they were far away from the Cullens. Once he separated her from them, the faster she would be able to let go of her old past and together they would start a new life and possibly a family of their own.

Bella was falling into a deep hysteria of excitement, fear, and desire. She needed him inside of her. Sheneeded him to help ease the burning ache he had created inside of her. She feared his hesitation in taking her was possibly due to his uncertainty about them.

What if he was lying to her and somehow he was still very much Nessie's imprint? Then it struck her like a hard blunt object. Jake couldn't be here with her if Nessie was truly his imprint. Nope. She knew that imprints didn't cheat on their mates. They didn't desire any others. Here she was with Jake between her legs, that was a sure sign that he had been telling the truth after all. This sudden revelation frighten and pleased her. She knew she now had her Jake completely to herself and never had to fear that his love for her daughter might become something that she always secretly desired.

With love shining in his eyes, he tenderly entered her body. Bella felt the first thrust and sucked in her breath. It had been so long since she had been intimate last and that was only a couple of times. Her walls were tightly sucking around the full length of him. Jake closed his eyes as he savored the feel of her, her hands reaching around his back, her nails clawing at him as he gently rock back and forth inside of her.

Bella clung to him fiercely, whispering in his ear, sweet hot commands.

"Harder…don't stop….won't break….give it all to me."

He and Bella were now joined by more than their bodies, he understood so completely why his wolf pack brothers had been so over joyed when they discovered their imprints.

Jake was kissing her as he thrust into her, taking her to new, soul shattering heights and nowshe finally understood why he fought so damn hard and so damn long for this moment.

"Jakeeee…my Jake…" Bella's voice was wonderfully husky.

He thrust as deep as he could go, and she arched up, her body clenching and holding him there. She continued to scratch his back with her nails and he hissed in pleasure.

"Damn…sweet Bella…." He shifted grabbing her ass, and brought her hard up against him. He couldn't stop himself, the emotions, the friction, the pleasure was like a overdose to his wolf. He began to pound into her with a wild raw flurry. Together they both found their ultimate release as they shouted in union.

She felt like she was intoxicated by all the emotions that sliced through her, leaving her so weak in the knees withher heart still hammering in her chest. All she knew for sure was that this had felt so right. Closing her eyes, she felt Jake collapsing on top of her. His weight was crushing her but she had never been so happy to have her breath squashed out of her.

"Mine." The growl rumbled in his chest and spilled into her ear.

Bella felt the tickle of a laugh as it exploded and burst out of her mouth.

"Yes, I'm yours." Bella giggled as Jake lifted his body off of her but locked eyes with her as his smile reached from ear to ear.

* * *

><p>Nessie crumbled to the floor, landing hard on her knees, her head dropped as tears spilled out of her eyes, falling down onto to her lap.<p>

"He's gone. He's with her. He took her and he isn't coming back. They've left me. HEEEE left me!" Nessie's soft weak voice slowly volatilized until it nearly cracked every window in the house.

"Honey, we don't know that yet." Rose dropped to Nessie's side, placing her arms around her, knowing in her heart that Nessie might be right.

"I hate her! Why? Why did she have to wake up?" Nessie shouted furiously as she glared around at the family that stood there with guilty faces while their eyes reflected her pain.

"Nessie, it's not her fault. You know that." Edward stepped forward, he was fighting back his own rage. He like Nessie understood the severity of the situation. If Bella was indeed Jake's imprint, which he was pretty positive she was then it was pretty clear what their next step would be. They would want to leave. There was no way in hell he could stand to see Jake touching and holding Bella the way he had forced Jake to in the past. He knew what it was like to treasure her body and now it wouldn't be available to him. No, she would only be for Jake.

"Don't defend her." Rose's head whipped up her eyes glimmering with a soft shade of red despite the fact she had eaten just a few hours before. She didn't like seeing Nessie in this condition and what really infuriated her was knowing that Jake and Bella had given no regards to Nessie's feelings before they reacted to the impossible situation.

"I don't think Bella even knows about the imprint. Jake hasn't told her or anyone. He was out trying to figure it all out today. He might be just now telling her somewhere privately." Edward's voice shook as he read all the angry and horrible thoughts that were roaring loudly in Rose's head.

"How could she not know?" Nessie sobbed.

"It's the most amazing feeling. It's like chocolate dipped strawberries with a dab of cool whip. It's so intoxicating and fulfilling. She had to know dad. She had toooo!" Nessie shook her head forcefully, refusing to believe her mother's innocence in all of this.

"Her imprint might be different than yours was. We need to all calm down." Edward raised his arms up in the air as the other members thoughts began to flood in his mind, causing him to feel like he might explode. It was taking every ounce of restrain not to fly out of that house and search for them so he could personally beat Jake to a pulp.

"Well, while your calming down, I'm going to take Nessie to her room." Rose knew the longer Nessie sat there the more she would have to hear and endure. It wasn't going to be easy but Rose knew in her heart that Nessie was stronger than she knew possible. If anyone knew about heartache and rejection, Rose was the one in this family who had experience with it.

* * *

><p>The fire crackled beside them, Bella laid a cross Jake's chest, his arm underneath her neck, stroking her arm in a soothing way.<p>

"What's wrong?" Jake had felt her restlessness although she laid very still beside him.

"I was just thinking how hard it's going to be to face them now." Bella exhaled long and deep.

"Bella do you regret what we shared?" Jake's voice trembled with worry.

"No." Bella tilted her head so she could look into Jake's eyes.

"Good. Look, there is something I need to tell you." Jake chewed on his lower lip for a few seconds before pulling himself up and pulling her up with him. Holding her hands in his, staring deep into her eyes he knew if he didn't tell her now he would regret it later.

Once they returned to the Cullen's everyone would know the truth. If Edward hadn't told them what he read in his mind earlier then the smell of him and their lovemaking would be a pretty clear signal as to what had occurred in their absence.

"Please tell me it's good news, cause I'm really happy right now and bad news would put a major damper on this moment." Bella cocks an eyebrow as she looks wearily at him.

"Haha, well, it's good if you accept it." Jake laughs but his eyes remained nervous looking.

"Mmm…intriguing."

"Bella, I'm in love with you and Edward and the others need to know this but what's more important is that you need to understand that I've always loved you even before….well…before I discovered that YOU are my true imprint." Jake watched her expression closely.

Her smile faded away, the sparkles in her eyes were now layered with a glossy look that threaten to spill with tears. Jake wasn't sure if they would be tears of joy or tears of hate. He braced himself for her attack. He knew how much Bella had wanted to believe that she was meant to live out her life with the vampires but it had been more of a choice decision, not her true destiny. They were fated to be together even if she didn't want to accept it.

"How? I mean….when I asked you awhile back you said I would know if you had imprinted and I'm pretty damn sure I didn't feel a imprint between us before I married Edward." Bella's voice shook as her body trembled from the shock of what he had just confessed.

"Our imprint happened sometime before you were married to Edward. I think it might have happened the night I first phased. I remembered being so happy and so excited and then sad when you told me you didn't think you were repairable. Later I phased for the first time. My feelings for you were just as strong so the imprint didn't really affect me the way it had the other pack members." Jake explained the best that he could.

"What about me? Why didn't I feel it?" Bella shook her head, trying to make sense of it all. She wanted to believe him. It would make what they shared feel less guilty if it was true. She wouldn't be lying when she told Edward she literally couldn't stop herself. She was so drawn to Jake whenever he was near her. She would find herself staring at his hands, wondering what they would feel like, then she would move her eyes to his lips and once again she would find herself wishing he would kiss her.

"Bella, you have a very stubborn mind. It's like a wall that shields you and when you fell in love with Edward you put that wall up, blocking anything and anyone from getting to you. You were so adamant about spending your life with Edward that you purposely blocked it from truly affecting you. Do you remember that day you stood out in the rain, crying to me how you missed me and wanted a second chance with me?"Jake hated to bring up that day. He had hurt her unintentionally by ignoring her and demanding she go home and leave him alone.

"Yes." Bella rubbed her arms, remembering the sadness she had been drowning in when Jake had suddenly stopped calling and answering his phone. When he was no longer panting at her side she found herself missing him and then for the first time she feared she might have lost him for good. She totally freaked out like a jealous girlfriend when she saw he was willing to hang out with his guy friends but had been denying her his attention for weeks.

"Our imprint had already set in but because I've love you before, my feelings didn't change as drastically as they would've for a normal imprint. You of course, didn't want to think it was possible that you could remotely love me more than a friend. You wanted to keep me and Edward in your life. You wouldn't let me go no matter how many times I tried to pull away so you could be happy with Edward. Our imprint was there but we were both so blinded by all the other drama in our lives that we didn't recognize it for what it was. I'm the man who is suppose to love you, take care of you, and someday be the father of our children." Jake's hand reached down and pressed against her flat stomach.

Bella's heart tumbled. In a strange and frightening way she knew he wasn't lying to her. He made perfect sense. Looking in her heart she always knew there was something special between them but she tried to label it as friendship and refused to believe it could or would grow into anything further. Instead she had invested in a relationship with a immortal, who she was constantly feeling less than when she was near him and his perfect family. Why?

Why had she put herself through that heartache? Many, many times she had put her life in danger due to her association with the Cullens. For what? To literally die and then wake up to discover that everything you had wanted was simply no longer available to her ?

She loved Nessie and she didn't regret giving her life but she couldn't honestly say that she felt a special bond between mother and child. No, maybe if things had gone differently and she had become a vampire then they would've had more in common but that wasn't going to happen. Bella was going to remain human. Nessie would live forever. How were they suppose to find a way to become closer? Of course now that she was imprinted to Jake, the only man Nessie had every known and loved, she was pretty sure her daughter wasn't going to want her around any longer. Tears trickled down her face as it dawned on her that she might have gained Jake but she had lost the entire Cullen family and her only child because of it. Was the cost worth the gain?

"Say something?" Jake couldn't bear the silence. Bella's head had dropped, her eyes locked on their clasped hands.

"I know what your saying is true and God knows I understand what this means for you but it still breaks my heart. I'm going to lose my husband, my friends and my daughter now. I've already lost my other family and my old friends and my old life. When does it stop? When do I get the happy ending?" Bella's head lifted up, tears sprang out of her eyes.

Jake was stunned by her words. He knew it would be hard for her to walk away from the Cullens and Edward but he hadn't considered how she had already given up her family and friends before back in Forks and now he was asking her to do it again. It bothered him to think he was asking her to do something that Edward had also asked of her.

"I promise we can still have that happy ending." He vowed.

"I don't know." Bella shook her head in denial, pulling her hands away from him.

"We can't take this back, Bella. Edward already knows. He read my thoughts before I took you away." Jake announced firmly and with a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

Bella felt a surge of anger flow through her and before she could stop herself, she slapped him across the face. Instantly she regretted it not only because it had hurt his pride but because it had brought great physical pain to her.

"Shit!" Bella growled holding her injured hand against her chest.

"Bella. When will you learn?" Jake scolded her.

"I…need air…please….just…go…leave." Bella pointed toward the front door as she whimpered from the pain in her hand and in her heart.

"Bella, you can't run away from this." Jake warns her.

"I know Jake! Just….please gooo.." She sobbed in anguish.

Jake stood up, putting his clothes back on then forced himself to leave the cabin and let her calm down. He knew she would be upset but he hadn't expected her to cause bodily harm to herself. He wanted to aid her but he knew right now she needed her space mostof all . He just hoped that when he returned inside she would be less angry and perhaps more of the Bella he had just made love to. He wanted to see the Bella who had just shared her body and heart with him tonight. He knew there was more trouble and perhaps disappointments headed their way but with Bella by his side he would boldly face any challenge.


	15. When Love and Death Embrace

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Twilight related.  
>Beta: JessipooksMist  
>AN: Sorry for the long wait. My summer break is over and I'm back in the classroom teaching. I"m also going back to college to get my degree so bare with me. I won't be updating all my stories like I normally do, just this one and Wayward Soul are the only two I have enough time to focus on with all the other RL stuff weighing me down. Happy Reading! xoxox August

Chapter 14: When Love and Death Embrace

Bella applied a makeshift ice pack, she had concocted from what she had found in the small kitchen, onto her sore hand.

Sitting in the chair she stared at the ruffled blanket on the floor and recalled the way it had felt just a few minutes before when Jake had explored her body.

Trembling from the leftovers of their lovemaking, she was sharply brought back to reality when her hand began to throb.

_**Why couldn't this have been such a simple one night of passion? What is with me and sex?Does the universe think I should be punished every time I get horny? I swear I must have been like a nun in another lifetime.**_

_**God, I can't believe how terrific the sex was but I guess that should've been expected since we are imprints. Arggh! Why can't my life be ordinary? Why must I constantly have to choose one man while hurting another? Edward is a very forgiving man but this, well this was not such a simple case of me cheating on him,it was worse. I'm going to have to end my marriage to him.**_

_**Now that Jake and I are imprinted I know I won't see Edward the same. It makes total sense now why I didn't crave his touch and why it bothered me so much to think of Jake with anyone else, even his supposed imprint.**_

_**Nessie. Lord knows me and Renee had our issues but she never stole one of my boyfriends. I am a horrible mother. I had grew up with no desire to have children or get married now I know why, because I am horrible at being a mother and a wife.**_

Bella stood up, walking to the window to look out and checked if Jake was close by. She didn't mean to hurt him. She knew physically he was fine, emotionally he had to feel rejected. She just felt like he should have warned her that they wouldn't be able to keep their feelings from Edward any longer. When they returned home, he would know that she knew she was Jake's imprint and more importantly, he would know they had been intimate. It would be the final blow to their already complicated relationship.

This was a hard situation for all parties involved but she knew what she had to do now. It was time to move forward. This was part of the process of growing up that sucked. She was no longer the innocent starry eyed girl that Edward met on that first day of school. No, too much had happened in her life that had destroyed that girl. She was a woman now. A grown adult who had to make difficult grown up decisions.

She heard the front door open, turning her head she looked at Jake and felt the warmth of his eyes clear across the room.

"It's okay Jake. I meant what I said before. I choose you." Bella's words echoed in the small room. Jake sprung across the room, throwing his arms around her and lifting her up off of her feet. He spun her around a couple of times, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

Gently placing her back down, he cupped her face with his large warm hands. Staring deep into her sparkling dazed eyes, he leaned in and with such remarkable gentleness he brushed his lips across hers.

"I can't ever be without you will kill me Bells." Jake's voice was hoarse and his eyes revealed the sincerity of his words.

Bella grazed her lips with her tongue, swallowing the lump of fear that had lodged in her throat, she knew in her heart that she would die without him in her life as well.

"Me too Jake." Bella agreed. She circled her arms around his waist, laying her head against his chest, she listened to his heart beat and knew it beat only for her.

Nessie stood in the center of her room. Her eyes burn, they were itchy, and swollen. She couldn't take the restlessness that clawed at her insides. She needed to move, run, attack, anything but just stand there.

In her heart she knew the truth that she was no longer Jake's imprint but her pride wouldn't let her believe it. She hated to lose. It was one of her many flaws.

She hated waiting around and knew that everyone else was hoping that Bella and Jake would return and by some miracle she wouldn't want to be an imprint and instead defy her own destiny and ask the family to change her one final time. Nessie knew this wasn't going to happen. She had knowledge of what an imprint felt like, the beauty of it,the pleasure, and the love was so intense that nothing and no one else could ever deter you from them.

She was battling within herself. Her mind was torn about what to do. Should she wait for them to return or should she go and search them herself? She had to see it for herself that Jake and her mother had truly imprinted. She had to look at them face to face so she could allow her heart to fully crumble to pieces.

They might not return at all. Closing her eyes she felt her blood boil, her pulse skipped erratically and knew that wouldn't be the case. Bella would return to her family, her husband, her daughter and say a final good-bye. Nessie didn't feel as bonded to her mother as she did with Rosalie but in the short time she had spent with her and over the years, her family had spoke about her mother's life she knew that Bella wouldn't be so cruel.

Her mother's compassion was one of the things that had drawn her father to her. Nessie didn't want to despise her mother but her heart was inflicted with so much jealousy that it wasn't possible for her to feel any other way at the moment.

Nessie found herself remembering a place that Jake had often slipped off to when he needed some space from the family. She wasn't supposed to know about it but she had secretly followed him. She knew that was where he had taken her mother to reveal the truth to her. It was there that she suspected she would find them now, if she could manage to slip away undetected by her father and Alice. She knew they were both wrapped up in their own emotional war that they wouldn't be concentrating on her thoughts or next steps.

Pulling the bedroom window up to give herself just enough room to squat on the edge of the base, she jumped out of the window and landed smoothly on her feet. With grace and silent footing she snuck into the garage and took a motorcycle and pushed it down the road until she was sure she could start it up without alerting the others of her plans.

Driving like a bat out of hell she flew to her destination with no regards to what she might stumble upon and how it would alter her life and her love for Jake for ever.

"What are we going to do Jake? I mean we can't live with them after this? I can't see us being in an area so close to them. It would be too hard on ALL of us."

Bella sat on top of Jake's lap, sideways, laying her head on his chest. Jake stroked her hair with one hand, his other hand settled on her thigh as they both reveled in the serenity they were at last mutually feeling.

"I don't know exactly but I have this strange feeling it will all work out the way it's meant to." Jake answered.

"I hope your right. I'm so tired of having to choose one of you over the other. No matter who I choose I end up hurting someone. I love Edward and despite these feelings for you it's not easy considering a future with out him in it at all. It frightens me. " Bella lifted her head up and looked into his eyes, wanting him to understand he was her future but she also had a past that would always be part of her.

"I know. I've spent the past five years getting to know the infamous blood suckers and I understand why you clung to them. I can see how they can make you forget at times they aren't human. I've come a cross some real nasty vampires with real nasty personalities. They are strong as a family and you were right, they genuinely try to be good despite their killer nature." Jake admitted how he could see what it was about the cold ones, these in particular that created such loyalty in Bella. However,she was now forced with the reality that she couldn't exist in both worlds. The choice was made and now she would be officially breaking away from their world and that they had to offer.

"This seems so crazy. I'm trying to wrap my brain around it. Its almost like everything is in reverse minus Nessie." Bella slipped her fingers in Jake's hand. "This reminds me of the day before I married Eward."

Jake pulled back staring oddly at her.

"Care to explain further?"

"Sorry. It's just that I was so upset that you had ran away and I feared I had lost you forever. I just couldn't believe I was losing you. Edward was trying to be so strong for me but I knew it hurt him that even though I had made the choice to spend the rest of my life with him, I was still wanting you too. I'm frightened at the thought of never seeing him or any of the others." Bella answered with a soft sober tone.

"It will take time to get use to it but remember, I'm giving them up also."

Bella looked skeptically at Jake.

"Are you seriously telling me that you would actually miss the Cullen's?"

"Look, I won't miss the blood thirsty looks nor the stench of smelling vampires every moment of the day but I've grown close to them. Plus, like you, I am a little scared about leaving Nessie behind. I know the imprint isn't there between us so it shouldn't cause me any physical pain to walk away from her now but there is this still a very small part of me that worries that I might still hurt all the same. I cared for her since she was born. I've never been apart from her in five years. I know that this is going to shatter her. She is really fragile." Jake explains.

Bella's jaw drops open wide.

"Are you telling me that you love my daughter?" Bella asks, while feeling like someone was twisting a knife in her stomach.

"Of course I love Nessie. Even if we don't share a imprint any longer there is a bond between us that can't be simply broken. She is like my god-child or my little sister. Surely, you can understand that." Jake explains with a sincere look on his face.

"I guess I can." Bella hated to admit that Jake knew her daughter better than she did. When they left there was no doubt in her mind that Nessie would remain with Edward and the others and hopefully someday once she healed and found someone special, she might come back into their lives. Sadly, at the moment, Bella understood she was going to miss out on more moments of her only child's life and once again it was her fault. She had chosen to take the coma induced drug that had put her in a nearly permanent coma and now she was imprinted with Jake and had chosen not to fight it any longer. Nessie would once again suffer from her choice.

"It doesn't mean I love you any feelings for Nessie have always been different that those I had for you. I felt the need to protect her more than anything else. With you, well….let's just say I can't wait to get you naked again." Jake chuckled earnestly.

"Your awful." Bella laughed along with him. Slipping her arm around his neck she leans her head back inviting him to kiss her. He happily gave her that kiss. Bella felt the warm tingling sensations course up and down her spine, her toes curled up, her heart ran rapidly and she knew that this choice was going to have a happy ending, eventually. It would take time for them to endure what they both knew laid ahead of them but in the meantime, they were lucky to have found the love they were intended to share with one another.

******************************************************************************

Nessie shut the engine off about a half block away from the cabin. She knew that Jake had keen hearing and she didn't want him to suspect she was near by. She had to see for herself what was going on with her mother and Jake. She knew she might see something horrifying and hurtful but until she saw it with her own two eyes, she wouldn't be able to force her heart to accept the truth.

With stealthy steps that her family had trained her,she made her way to the front window of the house. It wasn't a big window and the curtains were shifted apart just enough so she could catch a small glimpse inside.

She saw two bodies sitting on a chair facing the front door. Then it all became clear. Her mother was sitting on Jake's lap and they were talking. It looked like they were both worried and then she saw them laughing. It was the next thing she saw that made her head nearly explode with pain. Her mother and Jake shared a kiss that was so passionate that Nessie had to curl her hands into balls, her nails cutting into her flesh making them bleed to prevent her from screaming out in agony. It was true. She now had the proof with her own two eyes. They were indeed in love and Jake was definitely imprinted with her mother. There was no other explanation for their betrayal.

Tears poured down her face as she watched the only man she had ever loved, making out with the very woman who had given her life. Forcing herself to turn away, she took a few steps away from the house trying to contain her hurt and anger. She had to think and act rationally. She couldn't let her vampire side loose on them. Jake could definitely over power her although she had the advantage over her mother. Wiping the tears away with the back of her hand she ran as fast as the wind away from the cabin. Locating her bike, she jumped on it and without any regards to Jake's keen hearing she took flight again. This time she had to go see someone else, she had to vent, she had to release this pint up pain. She wasn't ready to see her family so there was only one other person, Alex.

***********************************************************************

Edward slipped his mind through out the house, hearing a few thoughts when it hit him that he hadn't heard even a whisper of a thought from Nessie in nearly a hour. He knew that his teenage daughter had constant thoughts and something warned him that he should check on her.

He made his way to her room and found himself hoping she was just asleep but his gut instincts knew it wouldn't be that simple. Knocking on her door he awaited for permission. When a few minutes went by he knocked again. Still no answer. Opening the door he looked around the darken room and knew she had managed to sneak out. Shaking his head with frustration he rush back to the others to inform them that Nessie had taken off.

"She's gone. Nessie took off." He spoke frantically to Carlisle, Alice, and Rosalie who were still in the living room discussing how or what to do next about all of this, especially where Nessie was concerned.

"Shit." Rosalie stomped her high heel on the wooden floor, making a loud clinking sound.

Alice closed her eyes and a few seconds later she reopened them and her earlier frighten look seem to diminished a little.

"She is going to Alex's. She saw something that upset her and she doesn't want to discuss it with us yet." Alice informed them.

"Damn it." Rosalie stomped her foot again.

"At least she is safe." Carlisle pointed out.

"Yeah, but where has she been all this time and what did she see exactly?" Edward thought out loud.

"I'm sure once she returns we will learn all about it." Rosalie huffed.

"I don't want to wait that long. I'm going to call Alex and if she isn't there yet, warn her to keep her there until I get there. I don't like her randomly going places. She is too upset. She might make a mistake we can't fix." Edward hated to point it out that up until now Nessie had never given them any reason to be concerned about her vampire side taking over. She was upset, she was feeling lost and confuse. This was not a good combination for a young half vampire to experience with out the guidance of others to prevent her from doing something foolish or hell even lethal.

"I agree with Edward. Go find her and bring her home. Hopefully Jake and Bella will return by then." Carlisle demanded.

"Okay." Edward agreed.

"I'm coming with you." Rose stepped up and flashed Edward a look that threaten him to deny her and she would go berserk on him. Edward nodded his head in agreement.

**********************************************************************

"I hate to do this but we should go back. I'm sure Edward has told the others by now what has happened. I know you hate walking into a full on attack but you better prepare yourself honey. They might have treated you like a goddess before but now that you can't be one of them nor Edward's wife they probably won't be as thrilled with you." Jake knew he was being a jerk for reminding her that she wasn't going to be a Cullen any longer but he didn't want her to be naive about the situation either. If she thought they would be understanding and they weren't, she would be devastated.

"I don't think they are going to demand that I pack up my stuff and leave immediately." Bella snorted.

"I can't say if they will or won't. I just know they are going to be pissed off and greatly disappointed in the both of us." Jake shrugged his shoulders. He leans over and kisses her long and hard before removing her from his lap.

"What are we going to do exactly? I mean, we need to have a plan in case they demand to know when we can leave." Bella felt her heart literally break at the thought of them making actual plans to make a hasty departure.

"I have money in my account. Not a whole lot but enough that we can at least go to Seattle and get jobs." Jake sighed sadly. He knew he couldn't offer her the sort of life that Edward had planned on.

"Seattle? That's pretty close to Forks. Do you think that is wise? I mean, what if one of our old friends are there? How would we explain my sudden appearance from the dead?" Bella laughed bitterly.

"We will figure it out as we go." Jake didn't have a answer for her right away but he knew they would figure it out as they went along.

"I guess your right." Bella moved nervously around while watching Jake put the fire out.

"Hey, here's a random thought. If the Cullen's leave here we can always come back and live." Jake suggested.

"Here." Bella looked around the sparse cabin and smiled warmly. It would be nice to start a new life together in a place where they had created a beautiful memory. She would always think of their first time together when they came here.

"We could make this our own little nest ." Bella joked.

"I like that. Our secret cuddle spot." Jake teased, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I love you Bella and I promise you that no matter what they say or do we will get through this. Our love is strong enough to endure whatever they say, but they have to know that you chose me. You chose us. They won't believe it any other way." Jake warns her.

"Okay. I will deal with it the best way I can but don't get mad at me if I reach out for Edward. He is my husband for now and I'm hurting him in the worse way you can hurt Edward. I've betrayed him and our vows. He believes deeply in the soul and he will see this act as breaking a commandment." Bella sobs softly as tears suddenly sprung into her eyes.

"A commandment?" Jake frowns.

"I committed adultery with you in his eyes. Imprint or not, I'm his wife and therefore my body belongs only to him." Bella explains further.

" Oh. " Jake hated to admit but she was right. They had committed adultery no matter the reason. She was Edward's wife and that was the first thing they had to change once he got her away from them. A divorce would help start the process of breaking away from the Cullen's and it would help ease her already over powering guilt.

"I love you Jake." Bella pressed her lips against his, taking his hand they forced themselves to walk out of the safe haven they had found in their cozy cabin.

Jake immediately picked up a scent of a vampire. Locking the door, he turned back around and inhaled the scent deeper into his nostrils. Nessie. Nessie was either close by or had been. How was that possible he wondered? He had never brought her here before? Did she spy on them? What did she see exactly? He was starting to think maybe they shouldn't go back to the Cullen's but instead just drive far, far away and give the family more time to adapt to their new relationship. Of course logically he knew that eventually she would have to face the family that had loved her and offered her things that he couldn't. He just wasn't sure if now was the right time for that.

"What's wrong?" Bella felt his tension as they made their way to his bike.

"I think Nessie was here earlier." He felt her tension rise along with his.

"Oh God! I hope she didn't hear or see us." Bella cringe at the thought of someone witnessing their special moment together.

"I'm not sure how long ago she was here but it had to be after I returned to the cabin. When I first came out, I didn't pick up on her scent."

"Thank God!" Bella exclaimed.

"Come on, we should get this over with so we can finally put it all behind us and start living a life where we don't have to worry constantly about who we might be hurting because we love one another." Jake handed her , her helmet and forced a encouraging smile for her.

"Your right. I hate to just shout out what happened and then fly the coop but I think the less time we stay the better. I don't want to be away from you and I can't see Edward allowing me to sleep in your room tonight. I also don't want to cause Nessie any unnecessary pain. I know this will hurt her and I hope someday she finds the right person for her." Bella hoped she was right. She hoped like hell that Nessie's true soul mate was out there and he would hopefully hurry up and make his way to her daughter's side so the pain of losing Jake wouldn't hurt for too much longer.

"You don't understand Alex! I can't go back there. I can't face HER. I know she didn't ask for the imprint but she got it anyways and I know that she didn't want to hurt me but she DID! I can't stand to see her. I want to just hit her over and over again." Nessie sobbed loudly as she paced back and forth frantically in Alex's living room.

"Honey, I know it hurts. I've had my heart broken. Hell, all of us have felt that pain before. No one finds their true soul mate right away. It takes time. You will heal and you will find the right guy for you." Alex reached out, stopping her from pacing and pulled her into her arms holding her very tightly against her.

"NO! No I won't! Jake was supposed to be mine. If she would have just died then I could've kept him." Nessie cried out loudly.

"You don't mean that. Your hurting right now but I'm sure you never wanted your mother to die." Alex hoped like hell she was right. If Nessie wanted to she could cause a lot of physical harm to Bella. Alex wasn't Bella's biggest fan at the moment but she did care immensely for Edward and she knew that Bella's death would devastate him. She had already seen how her near death had drove Edward on the brinks of insanity for the past few years. He loved Bella. Her imprinting with Jake was probably going to affect him worse than Bella's death would.

"Nessie. Thank God your okay." Rosalie flew into the room with out a invitation as she pulled Nessie away from Alex's arms and held her instead.

Edward followed shortly behind Rose and gave Alex's a weak smile.

"Thank you." He mouthed across the room to Alex softly.

Alex nodded her head, wrapping her arms around her chest she took several steps back. She knew how tight knitted this family was and although she had been with them for a few years now, she still was considered a permanent member.

"Roseeee….I hate her. I hate her." Nessie's body shook, the tears rolled down her face splashing like raindrops onto the floor.

"Honey, it's okay. This whole situation stinks but we will get through it. I promise you." Rose held her tighter, placing tender kisses on the top of her head.

"Where did you go Nessie?" Edward asked curiously.

"I…I…went to Jake's cabin. I saw them together." Nessie pulled her head out of Rose's chest, turning so she could look at her father to reveal what she had done and seen.

"Jake has a cabin?" Rose exclaimed.

"Yeah, he bought it when we first arrived. I wasn't suppose to know about it but I followed him." Nessie explained.

"Did you talk to them?" Edward didn't like the fact that Jake had been withholding information from them. It seemed that Jake didn't trust them enough to inform them of his purchase. If Edward hadn't been so pissed at him at the moment it probably wouldn't bother him at all. He understand what it was like to yearn for some privacy. Hell, he had planned on buying Bella and him their own home close to the other's so they could have their own privacy for awhile until she was completely changed and ready to reenter the world as a full fledged vampire but now that wasn't going to happen.

"No." Nessie shook her head.

"What did you see honey?" Rose took control of the situation. Her curiosity was at a peak. She wanted to know what Jake and Bella had done that had sent Nessie in such a state of heartache, if they hadn't spoken to her.

"They were…well…" Nessie paused as she looked nervously at her father before continuing. "They were holding one another, talking and laughing and then….they were kissing."

Edward felt like someone had just ripped his head off and left his dead body lying on the ground. He felt lifeless. He felt drained of any emotions. He knew Bella wouldn't be able to resist the imprint but he hadn't expected her to take it so easy either. It would have helped his ego if he had known she had fought against it before finally allowing it to consume her.

"Is that all?" Rose pushed.

"Yes."

"Did they see you?"

"No."

"Good. Now listen to me, we are going to go home and they will probably be there when we get back. You have a choice sweetie. You can go to your room and not deal with any of this or you can join us when we speak to them." Rose gave her the options that lied ahead now so she had time to prepare herself.

"What will happen to them now?" Nessie asked with a worried look between Rose and Edward. She knew her father was in pain, he had remained so silent and so frozen that she feared he was dead somehow.

"They will probably want to leave. I can't see Jake wanting to stay under our roof when he doesn't have to anymore." Rose answered honestly.

"You mean, he never wanted to be with us? I was …he had to stay because of me?" Nessie hated hearing how she was somehow the reason for Jake's unhappiness. She had sense at times his restlessness and occasional bouts of homesickness but thought he was past it and that one day he would be grateful for staying with them because they would become lovers and hopefully start a family of their own.

"I wouldn't look at it quite like that but Nessie he is a shape shifter, a wolf. Wolves and vampires aren't exactly friendly to one another. Remember we told you that Jake was rare because you two were imprinted. If you hadn't been his imprint then he wouldn't have wanted to be around us. His pack hunts our kind down and kills them." Rose rolled her eyes wondering how Nessie had forgotten the basic rules about vampires and wolves. They had been teaching her since she was one years old about the potential enemies that existed.

"I see. Because my mother isn't a vampire she is perfect for him unlike me. I'm the enemy. No wonder he was so relieved to be free of me." Nessie fell to her knees sobbing loudly.

"Stop it! Stop it now!" Edward's face suddenly began to move as he step up closer, standing over Nessie.

"Edward!" Rose cried out in shock.

"Shut up Rose! Nessie get up. Stop acting like a spoiled little child. Your mother didn't ask to be his imprint. She didn't ask to be in this situation. I am at fault for ALL of this. I knew better than to keep her mortal and try to make this marriage work but I was so damn stubborn that I pushed it off for as long as I could. So if you want to be pissed at someone be pissed at me." Edward shouted harshly, looking at each of the people in the room.

"Whhat?" Nessie slowly stood up staring at her father in disbelief. He had rarely ever rose his voice with her and now he was standing in front of her shouting so loud that it literally hurt her ear drums.

"You heard me. Everyone wants to think that Bella and Jake are the villains here but let's face it, if I hadn't come along and fell in love with her they would've been together and none of this would matter. I messed up their destiny. I couldn't resist her. Everyone told me to walk away from her before something bad happened but I wouldn't listen to them." Edward's eyes stared straight into Rose's. She knew he was speaking the truth. On more than one occasion she had voiced her concerns about Bella's safety and how it could ultimately hurt the family if she somehow ended up dead because of them.

"Is he telling the truth?" Nessie looked at Rose for confirmation or denial. Rose simply shook her head "yes".

"Then I hate you too." Nessie growled at him.

"Go ahead and hate me. Hate the whole world if it will help you feel better but the bottom line is this Nessie, your not going to get Jake back. He belongs with your mother. He always has. But you have the rest of your life to find the right man for you. So suck it up, stop acting like there is no other man equally or better than Jake Black." Edward growled back.

"Edward!" Alex and Rose cried out in unison.

"I'm sorry but Bella is right. We have doted on her so much that she looks like a grown woman but she acts like the five year old child she should be." Edward's tone soften but his face remained firm.

"What right does she have to judge us on how we have raised her?" Rose snorted rudely.

"Your not her mother Rose. Bella is." Edward reminded her of a fact that he knew was a low blow but he was sick of Rose always thinking she knew what was best for his daughter simply because she was a female.

"Then she should act MORE like it." Rose said with a venomous tone.

"Someday she might have that chance but for now …..well….we all know they will leave. It's for the best that they do." Edward felt like his heart had just shattered from the inside, out as he heard the words ring into the room.

Jake and Bella were going to be together and no matter how much it hurt he had to accept it and let her go. How he would manage was an entirely a mystery to him.  
>XXXXXXXXXX<p> 


	16. Blame It On Love

**Unwavering 15: Blame It On Love**

Feeling Jake's hand firmly around hers made her feel less nervous but it didn't stop her heart from pounding rapidly against her chest. She knew they were about to face a very difficult and painful truth. No one could really blame either of them for the imprint but they might find blame in her for having slept with Jake before ending her marriage to Edward. Making love to Jake would be seen as a act of betrayal. She knew it had been morally wrong but it had felt so right and so perfect.

Swallowing hard and sucking in a long deep breathe of air she knew it was going to be okay eventually. This was the hard part and every thing else that followed would only get easier, it had too or she could risked losing her mind.

"Ready." Jake asked as they stood in front of the door by Bella's side.

"No. But it's time to do this." Bella replied sadly.

"If your not sure about this then they will know it Bella and they will fight against us." Jake warned her. He wasn't sure how they would react if they thought Bella was somehow unsure of her decision. It wasn't like they could break the imprint but they might try to take her away or worse, turn her into one of them. He couldn't risk that happening. Not now. Not ever.

"I won't let them." Bella spoke with great certainty. She turned toward him and kissed him with all her heart.

"I chose you and I will be with you." Bella vowed, reaching toward the door and opening it. Jake followed right behind her as they made their way to the formal living room where he could sense them waiting for their arrival.

* * *

><p>The entire family minus Edward and Nessie were standing around the living room, creating a large circle. Bella stepped into the coldness of the circle, looking each of them in the eye. She knew from the way they were looking at her what each of them were feeling.<p>

Emmett-looked sadden.

Alice-looked hurt.

Jasper-was understanding but still sad.

Esme-wished she could help Bella somehow undo what was already done.

Carlisle-Wasn't happy about any of it but he also knew she never intended to hurt anyone.

Rosalie-Wished that she hadn't ever come back.

She expected each of these looks. She looked around the room hoping to discover Edward lurking in a corner but it was clear he wasn't there yet.

"It's good to know your alive and well." Rose started the conversation with a sarcastic smile.

"I'm sorry for being gone so long." Bella replied looking at each of their faces while making a mental note to keep her head held high. She was only guilty if she looked guilty. She didn't leave this house hours ago with the intention of making love to Jake and changing their destinies forever. No, she had gone in hopes of getting a little space and perhaps gaining more perspective over these strange and strong feelings she was experiencing.

"It's okay." Esme darted Rose a look that warned her to keep the conversation cool and smooth.

"I guess you already know from the looks on your faces." Bella stated the obvious.

"We know that Jake is no longer Nessie's imprint. You managed to break it." Rose snapped.

He saw Bella tremble from the anger that Rose was sending out with her tone and eyes.

"Excuse me?" Jake step up, wrapping his arm around Bella's waist.

"Bella didn't do anything. It was fate**. **It went back to the way it was always meant to be." Jake answered with a calm voice although his face showed them that he wasn't going to take their hostility toward Bella with out a fight.

"Jake is right Rose. No one purposely did this." Carlisle defended the couple.

"Rose cool it." Emmett warned her.

"Why does everyone in this family attack me when I speak the truth? Whenever it comes to Bella's failings we all turn our cheek and act like she is infallible. She isn't. So what that she can cope with the fact that we are blood thirsty vampires! She wouldn't be the first human to be cool with it. Come on, she isn't a little angel. You can smell her sin all over her." Rose cried out sniffing in the air and wrinkling her nose with a disgusted snort.

"That's enough Rose!" Emmett growled.

"Whatever! I'm done with it. I'm done with her. She should just leave already." Rose didn't back down as she stared deep into Emmett's eyes.

"Rose that's not your decision to make." Alice replied.

"Trust me when Edward gets a whiff of what they've been doing he is going to totally back me up on this. She cheated on him. Say it people, it's not going to start up an apocalypse if we speak the truth." Rose rolled her eyes and continued to smile sarcastically.

"Damn it Rose!" Carlisle shook his head in disbelief. He knew everyone was going to be tense but it wasn't necessary to be rude to Bella about what she had done. He was sure that it wasn't something she had planned to do. He knew she was a good girl and for her to betray Edward at this level wasn't her style at all. He understood the human anatomy. Bella and Jake had experienced a hormonal high and the imprinting they shared made their feelings even more intense when they were near each other. He had witnessed it whenever Jake and Nessie began to grow closer over the years. Nessie would always light up the instant that Jake walked in the room. Jake's feelings were not quite as strong but it was easy to see the connection he felt with her.

"Fine." Rose stepped back, wrapping her arms across her chest. Bella could see that Rose was struggling to be quiet while the others began to talk to her and Jake openly about their bizarre situation.

"So, it's true. You made the choice." Alice started.

"Yes, I did." Bella nodded her head and turned to look at Jake with a a smile.

"Bella, I know that you weren't aware of the imprint before you married Edward but now that you are and have completed the process, what are your plans?" Carlisle took his turn.

"Jake and I know it would be too difficult to stay here so we agreed to leave." Bella's strong face faltered as she saw the relief in several of their eyes. It hurt to know that they couldn't wait to get rid of her. They had been her best friends and family. Tears stung her eyes when she saw the pain in Alice's eyes directed toward her.

"It's for the best. Nessie is aware of what has happened between you two and she is severely upset. We aren't sure what she might do if she sees you two this close to one another." Carlisle continues.

"She saw us?" Bella frowned.

"She saw you two kissing in the cabin and is aware that you'veimprinted." Esme finally spoke up, her voice like Alice's was soft and sadden about their predicament.

"I'm sorry. I never knew that Jake and I were this deeply connected. I wasn't even aware of my feelings for Jake until after Edward left me and then when he returned I still didn't understand the depth of what I shared with him. I would've never married Edward had I known for sure that Jake was my destiny. I'm surprised that Alice didn't see it." Bella pointed out how Alice's vision had helped her feel confident that her future was tied in with theirs on more than one occasion. She had saved her life with the Volturi when she showed Aro her future vampire persona with Edward by her side.

When had that future changed? How had her entire future suddenly shifted in an entirely different direction and Alice had not seen it until recently?

"The only thing I can conclude is that his wolf side blocks my visions when your near him and so I can't exactly see your future as clear when you're together. Maybe I wasn't supposed to. Maybe these events had to happened the way they had or maybe something you did or Jake did caused your future to shift without any of us thinking to look at it more closely." Alice shrugged her shoulders.

"It wasn't Jake, it was Bella who changed it. When you had Nessie you were dying and that's when Edward was supposed to change you but when you and Carlisle changed the plans and put you in that coma to help your body heal on it's own, that could have changed your fate and Jake's as well." Esme suggested her theory.

"That is a good possibility." Carlisle agreed with Esme's theory.

"I just want you to know that I am grateful for everything and that I will never forget any of you." Bella's voice shook. Jake tighten his grip around her waist. He hoped and prayed that she didn't suddenly change her mind now that she was faced with the reality of their situation. He knew how much she cared for them and it hurt him to take her away from those she loved so much but it wasn't going to be safe here and they both knew it.

"Are you leaving tonight?" Jasper looked surprised.

"We should." Jake said. "It's like you said this is causing Nessie great pain. Neither Bella or I want that. We both love her very much."

"What about Edward? He will want to speak to you Bella." Alice exclaimed frantically.

"Where is he?" Bella chewed on her lip as she once again scanned the room.

"He should be here any second." Emmett answered.

"He is bringing Nessie home. She was too upset to come home right away. He wanted her to be thinking rationally before he felt it was safe to bring her here." Esme explained.

"Oh." Bella felt her heart break. She knew that Edward was going through hell right now and she was fully to blame. He had his hands busy with trying to console Nessie that this situation probably hadn't hit home with him yet. She knew that Edward would be a gentleman and step back, allowing her to leave with Jake but he wasn't going to give her his blessing when she left.

"You should pack your things so after you see him you can leave." Jake suggested.

"Oh. Okay." Bella looked nervously around at the others. All their heads dropped but Rose's. She just continued to glare harshly at the both of them.

Bella followed Jake out of the room.

"It's going to be okay. Go pack and I will get my stuff gathered up. I'm sure we can use one of their vehicles and have them send my motorcycle later." Jake offered. He knew they would have several pieces of luggage to take with them and it wouldn't fit on the back of his bike. They had a long drive ahead of them and a vehicle would provide them with more shelter and comfort for such a trip.

"Hurry." Bella pleaded as she hugged him quickly and forced her legs to move in the opposite direction of him.

Jake waited until he couldn't see her before he fled to his room. So far the family had taken everything in stride but he knew the real fireworks would begin the minute that Edward and Nessie returned. He didn't want to hurt either of them but even the family agreed it was best they leave as soon as possible and that was exactly what he wanted to do.

* * *

><p>Bella had shoved all her clothes in the two suitcases she had found sitting on the side of her bed when she first arrived. Wearing a twisted smile she was pretty sure that Alice had put them there. Gathering the few toiletries item, <strong>s<strong>he slowly placed them in the bag and out of nowhere felta sudden burst of cool air enter the room. Looking up she saw him. Edward.

His face looked distorted as his eyes glared confused and hurtfully at her.

"It's true. You are his now." Edward's voice was cold and unfeeling.

"I'm with Jake, yes." Bella didn't like the way he was looking at her. She had expected him to be hurt and upset but not furious.

"On the way here I was thinking about that night in the tent when you were freezing to death and I allowed Jake to warm you up. We had a private conversation while you slept. He asked me if you ever chose him would I walk away and of course I said yes. I can't believe it actually happened. Back then, I said "yes" because I honestly never dreamed you would actually choose him over me. I'm not trying to sound vain but I knew I had more to offer you then some love sick teenage boy." Edward said with a hoarse voice.

"Now he isn't a boy but a man. I'm still older and wiser than him but apparently he has something I don't have." Edward snickered.

"What do you mean?" Bella zipped up her bag, trying not to look at him too closely. She was already feeling the affects of his presence. She knew that his glamour could bedazzle her and make her feel uncertain about her feelings for Jake despite the imprint they now shared.

"Imprinting. It's like some magical potion. He pours it on you and you instantly believe your in love with him and that no other person could make you happy quite like he does."

"What about you Edward? Don't you have that same power. Glamour. Remember you told me you were created to seduce humans with it, to lure them in for the kill." Bella pointed out his own special abilities that helped him survive in this world.

"I never used it on you Bella. You came to me willingly. You chased after me when I tried so hard to keep you at arms distance. I thought about all the times you begged to be changed and I adamantly refused each time. I wanted you to savor the precious moments of your humanity. Now you will remain human. You will die Bella. You will grow old and die and I will probably continue on in this world." Edward's nostrils flared as his face twisted in a ugly smile.

"Don't Edward. Don't try to frighten me. If you think this will make things any easier then your wrong. I know what I'm about to do and how hard it's going to be.I can still remember the physical and emotional pain I suffered when you left me before. I know there is the possibility of that happening again even if this time I'm imprinted with Jake." Bella sighed heavily.

"Why Bella? Why did you give in so easily?" Edward's voice choked up.

"I ….it ….it's so hard to explain Edward. When he came into my room, I felt something shift and change in me. It was like falling in love for the very first time. I knew something special had happened between us and I wanted to believe that it was just due to my fear of being away from my friends and family but when I discovered that he and Nessie were more than friends I thought I would die. It hurt me. Why? It shouldn't have mattered to me that Jake had found happiness with another. I had you after all but it did. I was so jealous of her for a short time. How morbid is that? She is my daughter. Now, now I'm the one breaking her heart. I'm the one who has his heart and I can't lie to you and say that I'm not overjoyed by it, because I am." Bella confessed.

"So you ran off the first chance you had and….what ….had sex with him?" Edward's face once again turned ugly with fury.

"It wasn't like that. It just….we were so drawn to one another. We couldn't resist it." Bella answered. She stood there feeling awful as his eyes look fiercely with disappointment.

"Your own daughter nearly saw it all. She almost spied her own mother screwing her ex boyfriend." Edward's voice began to rise as his anger began to seethe.

"I'm sorry. We thought we were safely alone. Jake had no clue she was aware of his cabin's existence." Bella defended her actions.

"Sex. It was always about sex with you." Edward shook his head, rolling his eyes sarcastically.

"Excuse me?" Bella exclaimed.

"You were always pushing me to have sex with you and then when I finally caved in….well…we know how that all ended up. I guess now you are able to have all the sex you can ever want." Edward ran his hands through his messy hair. He was struggling hard not to reach out and shake her. He couldn't believe that she had slept with Jake the first time **t**hey were alone was as if she just suddenly stopped loving him.

"That's not fair. I'm a human being Edward. I have needs. I can't help that you were too scared to move our relationship forward until we were bound to one another. I will admit that it's a good thing we did wait because it would've been harder than hell to explain Nessie's rapid pregnancy to my dad." Bella chuckled bitterly.

"But I'm not a slut Edward. You know that. Don't stand here trying to be a jerk when we both know that this is hurting us both. I didn't wake up with the intentions of falling in love with Jake and walking away from our marriage. It happened. No one had a clue, no one could have prevented it." Bella reminded him that their situation was rare and there was no way to have known ahead of time how their journey was going to end.

"You can stop this. You can undo the imprint." Edward heard the thought in his head as it suddenly occurred to him how he could make this all right again for him, Nessie and even Bella if she was willing to give it a try.

"How?" Bella wasn't about to do anything that might break the imprint between her and Jake. She was curious to hear how he thought he could manage to tear her and Jake apart.

"Die." Edward watched as her face turned a ghostly shade of white.

"Seriously?" Bella gulped hard, hoping he didn't want to be the one to kill her as his eyes looked maddening.

"If you become a vampire Bella, you die. The imprint should shift back to Nessie or maybe even someone else entirely. You would be free of him. You could still live forever and never grow old. Nessie wouldn't have to see you as at threat anymore and would accept you as her mother the way it was meant to be." Edward saw the frighten look cross her face. He wasn't going to force anything on her but he wanted her to know the possibility to change this situation was out there and if she ever changed her mind about her and Jake he would gladly help her fix it.

Bella stood there frozen in place. She couldn't even feel her heart beating. She was so shocked by his suggestion of turning her into a vampire in order to free her from Jake. She knew this wasn't just about helping Nessie win Jake back or even helping her mend her dysfunctional relationship with Nessie. No, this was about Edward losing to Jake. He didn't like being on the other side of the triangle. Up until now he was always the winner. He didn't want to see her walk away and he didn't want to have to be the upright kind of guy he had sworn to Jake he would be in this situation.

"I mean it Bella. I will change you if you ask it of me. Our marriage depends on it. If you love me like you said you did you would at least consider it. You vowed to love me until death do us part. You're not dead and I'm not dust yet. I need you Bella. You're the only woman I've ever loved and I've done everything in my power to keep you safe and happy. I don't want to let you go. Not now, not ever." Edward knew that he was acting pathetic. He told himself that he would let her walk away and he would show Nessie that they could survive with out them in their lives but when he saw her packing her things, everything suddenly changed.

The scent of sex surrounding her, the warmth of her body, the beat of her heart and the perfume of her blood called out to him. It turned his courage into mush. He wanted to cry, fall to his knees and beg her to stay with him. He knew he was being a sap but he couldn't help it. He had never loved another woman the way he had loved her. She was his heart and soul. How was he supposed to go on with his life with out her in it?

"What if your wrong Edward? What if me being a vampire isn't enough to break the imprint? How will you feel then? I will live out eternity loving Jake instead of you. I know you love me and I love you too. I will always love you Edward. You were my first love, but Jake is my forever love. I should have known when we kissed and I saw the vision of our possible future if I chose him as a sign that we weren't meant for one another. Of course I was too damn stubborn back then." Bella replied, walking slowly up to him she stopped a few inches away from him. Taking his hand in hers, she gave it a gentle squeeze as she looked up and their eyes locked.

"You knew then Edward. You knew that Jake and I were in love but even you were too damn stubborn to walk away from us. We have to do this. We have to go our separate ways Edward. I can't stay here and I don't want to be like you anymore. I get it now. You were right. Being human has it's negatives but it also has it positives. I want to experience everything my life has to offer." Bella reached up, stroking the side of his face. Her eyes softened as she smiled tenderly at him.

"I can't let you go Bella." Edward's lip trembled as his cold hand wrapped around her wrist, lifting it up toward his mouth.

Bella felt herheart finally wake up as it raced like a bullet, her pulse shot up and her head screamed in panic. She hoped she was wrong and that he had no intentions of biting her. She would never forgive him if he changed her now after all this time. She wasn't his anymore, she was Jake's. If he stole that from her she would live out eternity making his life a living hell.

"NO! Don't!" Bella shouted frantically.

She saw the golden orbs of his eyes flicker with a tinge of red as he gripped her wrist tightly in between his hand. She had a bad feeling that Edward was going to do the first spontaneous thing in his life and that Jake would kill him for it.

"I love you Bella." Edward's voice was as soft as a whisper as he licked his lips, pulling her wrist closer to his mouth.

"NOOOOoo!" Bella cried out, kicking him and pulling as hard as she could to get away from him. She couldn't let this happen to her. She had to live. She had to stay human. She was Jake's imprint and for the first time in her life she felt like she was exactly where she belonged in this crazy world and Edward was going to rip it all away with one selfish and reckless moment.


	17. Breaking Family Ties

Chapter 16: Breaking Family Ties

"Did you plan to at least say good-bye before you ran away?" Nessie asked. Her voice was cold and strangely stern as she leaned against the door frame watching Jake pack up.

"I...I'm not running away exactly. I'm leaving." Jake gulped hard.

"Is this what you really want Jake?" Nessie's eyes glimmered dangerously.

"I have to go Nessie."

"I asked you if you wanted to go Jake. Is this hasty decision going to make you happier?"

"It will Nessie. I've loved your mother for as long as I can remember. I fell in love with her before I ever phased. Our love goes beyond magic." Jake explained.

He caught the quick jerk of her body as he answered her question honestly. He knew she didn't want to hear this but needed to hear it.

"I see. So you two were destined before my father and her fell in love." Nessie sighed heavily.

"Yes we were."

"I don't think this is all going to end the way you two hope. Sure, you will have some good times together but your love seems to have constant turmoil and dangerous obstacles. Don't think that will end Jake just because you got the girl." Nessie warned him.

"What do you know Nessie? Are you guys planning something?" Jake tensed up as he heard the silent underlining warning in her words. Nessie had been experiencing some visions that often came true. He wondered if there was something she had seen and wasn't revealing to him.

"We aren't doing a thing about this." Nessie threw her arms up in the air with a angry snort.

"In fact, my father says it's best to let you guys walk out of here and go far away from us. We are also planning on leaving soon."

"I'm grateful that your father is acting rationally about this." Jake thought back to the past when Edward had agreed that if Bella ever chose Jake over him he would gladly step back and allow her to be happy with ever whom she chose.

"I fear that he is going to snap at some point. No one can act that damn calm about losing your wife and lover to your enemy." Nessie rolled her eyes sarcastically as she crossed her arms. Her eyes glimmered again. Jake felt his wolf twitch beneath this skin. Nessie knew something and she wasn't telling him. This was such a bizarre side of Nessie, it felt so wrong and painful to watch.

"I do love you Nessie." Jake stepped closer to her, rubbing his hands together then clasping them in front of his chest.

"You have a funny way of showing it."

"I mean it Nessie. My feelings are still strong for you. I watched you grow into such a lovely young woman. I hope you don't let this turn you bitter. You're too sweet to go down that awful path." Jake started to reach out to grasp her shoulder when she jumped back, her eyes flickered from a soft blue to a soft shade of pink.

Jake gasped. He knew if her eyes went red she would go into instant killer mode. He had never seen her react like this before. She had never once in the past five years showed any signs of craving human blood.

"Don't touch me. You made love to her. Your hands were all over her. You did things to her that you promised someday we would experience." Nessie growled.

"You threw our dreams aside the first chance you got. You didn't hesitate to think about the ramifications of climbing between her legs. Oh but with me it was constant worries and theories on how it might affect me and the others if we made love too soon. You had to know somehow that if we had made love then you would lose her. I think you waited on purpose to see if the imprint would change back to her." Nessie accused him.

"WHAT! I never knew that Bella was my imprint. Trust me, I wouldn't have ever let your father lay a hand on her if I knew she had belonged to me." He replied hoarsely. It still bothered his wolf knowing that she had laid with the blood sucker before him. It still hurt his ego that she purposely chose the cold one over him.

Their conversation ended as they both lifted their heads up, hearing a terrified scream from the other side of the house. Nessie's lips curled up into a twisted smile as she continued to watch Jake's expression when a second scream came echoing through the house louder and clearer this time.

Jake ran forward and was shocked when Nessie threw herself in front of him. Licking her lips, her eyes widen with a hint of evil as she shook her head back and forth.

"No. Let it happen. It was what she wanted. She asked for it over and over again." Nessie's voice dropped into a almost demonic tone as she glared furiously at Jake.

"Get out of my way Nessie. I don't want to hurt you but I will." Jake growls as his wolf becomes alert and ready to be set free the moment it's given permission.

"You can't hurt me any worse than you already have." Nessie chuckled bitterly.

"MOVE!" He growled louder as his body began to spasm, his eyes widen, his pulse raced.

"Go then." Nessie laughed loudly as she stepped back allowing Jake to run to the other side of the house where the screams of Bella could be heard.

"Poor, poor Jake. Such a pity. I'm not that old and I already know there is no such thing as happy endings in life." Nessie walked leisurely in the direction of the house where she knew all hell was about to break.

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It didn't take long for the others to rush to the upstairs room where Edward's teeth were a mere inch from Bella's wrist. Saliva drip out of the corners of his mouth as his eyes stared at her pale skin with a dangerous intensity.

"Please Edward don't do this. Don't end us like this. I won't forgive you. I will kill you Edward." Bella's voice was filled with raw anger as she yanked at his hair, trying to pull him away from her.

"Let her go Edward." Carlisle reached the room and was by his son's side, a few seconds before Jake came barreling in with both eyes glowing, his chest was shaking rapidly. The vampires could smell the wolf starting to surface and knew if Edward made one wrong move the wolf would be released and then there would be blood shed. Edward was threatening Jake's imprint. He wouldn't be able to stop himself from killing Edward. This was part of the wolf's natural instincts to protect what belonged to him. No one could accuse Jake of killing Edward without just cause.

"I want to but I can't. I can't lose her. She is my wife. God has deemed her mine." Edward replied painfully as his head tilted up to look at Bella with such fear and pain that it sent shivers straight into her soul.

"Edward, I know this is hard and I never meant to hurt you but you PROMISED me you would let me go if I CHOSE too. I am choosing to leave you, this family and live my life as a human with Jake. Don't break your promise to me. Please Edward. He will kill you." Bella pleaded as tears streamed down her face.

"If you and Jake weren't imprinted now would you choose him still?" Edward asked. His voice was so soft, it would have been almost impossible to hear.

"Yes. Yes I would." Bella felt confident in her answer but in the back of her mind she wondered if she was lying just a little. After all, she had denied her feelings for Jake before so that her love for Edward could flourish. Her heart had told her before that it belonged with Jake but she refused to listen to it because she felt that her love for Edward was stronger and somehow better for her. Of course she had been a simple minded teenager who believed that Edward was her first and only love. Now years older, she could see that she just wanted Edward for all that he had to offer her. With Edward she could become more than a simple ordinary girl. She would have incredible powers, immortality, and beauty.

Now she knew that there was much more to her life than those things. She wasn't as scared to grow old or to be weaker than most people around her. These were characteristics that just made her human, not pathetic. She had been so ridiculously naive. She wasn't like that anymore. She was stronger and she could depict the differences in reality and fantasy. The supernatural world that had consumed and intrigued her years ago had given her the wrong outlook on life.

"Your lying." Edward groaned as his eyes fell back to her wrist that he had been gripping so hard that it was already turning a soft shade of blue from where he was bruising her fragile skin.

"NO! NO I"m not! I don't want to be like you. I don't want to suffer the loss of my family and friends and have to hide out for years after years. I want to live and die. I want to go down the natural path of life Edward. You warned me that it would hurt and it would kill me to watch those I love fade away and that I could never make new friends or do normal things that people my age do because I would be in constant danger of being discovered for what I truly was. You were right. I was wrong back then. Please, just let me go Edward. I will leave with Jake and never come back." Bella hoped like hell that her words were sinking into his head. She knew he was fighting a battle within himself. Her Edward would never force this on her. He wasn't thinking with his head. He was thinking with his heart and they both knew how crazy that could make him.

"Edward let her go or I will be forced to kill you. One of us will die tonight and then Bella would suffer. This isn't her fault Edward. This isn't my fault or yours. It's happening and we both have to accept it. You promised me you could handle this better than I had. Show me. Show me your a better man than I was." Jake warned him one final time as he hunched down ready to phase if necessary to rip Edward's head off before it came any closer to Bella's wrist.

Edward's fingers slowly unraveled from her wrist as he took a steady step back away from her. He locked eyes with Bella's as he took another step back,his face showed the anguish and hell it took to release her .

"Bella come over here." Jake ordered gently.

Bella continued to look into Edward's eyes as she moved closer to Jake's side.

She felt the warmth and strength of his arm circling her waist as tears spilled out of her eyes. She couldn't seem to stop looking at Edward. She still felt a strange pull between them. Perhaps it was from the fact that he had been her first in so many aspects of her life. Edward had protected her, loved her, and sacrificed parts of himself to be the man she wanted. He had given up so much for her. He had changed from the cold, isolated young man she had first met into a warm, caring individual who had finally found a reason to exist in this world.

"Why didn't you do it?" Nessie broke past Rose who had been blocking her from the room in case things got nasty.

"Shut up Nessie." Emmett shot her a warning look.

"NO! If he turned her then they wouldn't be imprinted anymore. You guys know it's a possibility. Don't you want her in our family anymore?" She looked around at her family with accusing eyes.

"Do you no longer care about her?" Nessie continued her argument.

"Of course we do and that is why we are allowing her to choose Nessie." Esme spoke up as she entered the room. Her eyes were soft and sympathetic to Nessie's pain.

"She already chose. She married my father. She gave birth to me. This is what she wanted. Even when she was already imprinted with Jake she wanted this more than him." Nessie looked directly at Jake hoping that her words struck him, causing him some well deserved pain.

"It was different then. She didn't know that Jake and her were tied together by more than friendship." Alice said walking toward Nessie slowly as she laid her arm over her shoulder, pulling her into a gentle embrace.

"She lied to you then. She knew. Trust me. I know what it feels like to be in love with Jake. There is no way you can call it anything other than love." Nessie shook her head in denial pulling away from Alice's comforting arms.

"Tell them! Tell him! Tell the truth for once. Be a woman and not some timid little bitch that is afraid of her own shadow!" Nessie shouted out, her hands curled up into tiny balls, rocking back and forth by her sides.

Nessie was up in Bella's face within a second. Everyone was stunned at how fast she had moved across the room and how strong her hate was for her own mother.

"Back off Nessie." Jake warned her.

"Nessie, I didn't know for sure who I loved more. Both your father and Jake were two extraordinary men. I was a foolish teenager who had never been in love before. I had no previous experience in that area to make a healthy decision. I just knew that I enjoyed Jake's company. He saved me when I nearly died from losing your father who by the way walked away from me. No left me to die." Bella's eyes grew cold as she looked past Nessie to stare at Edward for a second before they locked back with Nessie's.

"I thought that my feelings for Jake were misplaced. I feared that what I felt for him was more out of obligation and sincere friendship than a romantic sense of love. When I married your father, I truly believed I had chosen my life mate. I saw myself living out eternity with him. I also knew that when he changed me it would prevent the Volturi from coming back to Forks. If they discovered the wolves existence they might kill them. I couldn't be responsible for that. I thought what your father was offering me would be enough to make me happy but it wasn't. When I woke up all I could think about was my old life. How my family and my friends had suffered from my fake death. I wanted them back in my life. I knew in that moment of clarity that being a vampire wasn't what I needed to make me happy. When Jake entered the room it just confirmed what I already feared." Bella hoped everyone understood why she was choosing to leave them and not take it so personal.

They had been right after all. Even Rose had argued with her that their lifestyle wasn't perfect. That she was making a wrong choice if she chose to become one of them willingly.

"So now you're just going to leave us? Walk away from your mistakes?" Nessie's voice dripped with venom as her hands lifted up and slammed against her mother's chest shoving her out of Jake's arms and against the wall behind them.

In a flash Jake phased into his wolf, causing the room to shrink around him.

Alice flew around him and lifted Bella up in her arms. She could see that Bella was injured but she was going to live.

"Come on kill me." Nessie challenged him as she cocked an eye brow.

"Stop it! Stop it now!" Rose and Edward jumped in front of Nessie at the same time. Edward kept his body facing Jake, while Rose stood with her back against Edward's so that her face was directly in front of Nessie's.

"Your wrong Nessie. I told your mother that being a vampire wasn't right for her. I told her she was making the wrong choice and I stick by that. WE didn't choose this for ourselves. WE were forced with this. You were born with this. In a way you were forced like us but your mother has chosen to walk away from it. She is doing what is right. Let her go Nessie." Rose demanded.

"How can you defend her? You know she isn't capable of loving him like I can." Nessie sobbed as she stared at the woman who had been like her mother for the past five years defend the woman who had ripped her heart out.

"She isn't just leaving because she can, she is doing it to stop your suffering. She knows you can't move forward if they are here. Jake will kill you Nessie if you go near her. Back away. Please sweetheart." Rose's voice shook with fear and love.

Jake stared at them ready to pounce on anyone who made the wrong move toward him or Bella.

"Jake let me get her to the car. I promise I won't hurt her." Alice begged from behind him.

Jake's large wolf head turn to look at Alice and knew she was telling the truth. Nodding his head with permission he turn his lethal gaze back at the others.

"Esme grab her things, Jasper go get Jake's." Carlisle ordered them.

Everyone moved with lightening speed.

"I'm sorry Jake. I'm sorry I was weak. I love her. You know the pain I'm enduring." Edward hoped that Jake was able to express his regrets to Bella later on when they were safely far away from them.

The wolf just stood firmly in place staring at them, his teeth grinding as he kept his guard up.

"Jake. Don't go. Please give us one more try." Nessie begged but knew it was falling on deaf ears.

"It's over Nessie." Edward replied firmly.

The wolf moved out of the room quickly and with ease for something so big.

Nessie crumbled to her knees as tears poured out of her eyes and fell to the floor.

"I hate you. You're so damn weak." Nessie cried as her father knelt in front of her.

"No, I'm strong Nessie. Strong enough to let someone I love leave and live the life she deserved. You should be happy for Jake. He can now be the alpha he was always meant to be." Edward answered as he kissed her forehead.

"I know. It just ….hurts daddy." Nessie fell into his arms and wept like the child she been just a few years before.

When the wolf saw Bella was safely settled into the passenger seat with all of their belongings in the back, he allowed himself to phase back into human form. Alice turned her gaze away as she handed him a handful of clothing.

"I had some stuff packed already for you guys. I know you will need it. Please tell her when she wakes up that we meant her no harm. Nessie is hurt but she will get past this. Someday she will seek out Bella again. She will want her forgiveness." Alice stated.

"I hope your right. I know that Bella will feel tremendous guilt for hurting her but we made the right decision about us, about leaving." Jake finished dressing when he opened the car door climbing into the driver side.

"I will send you a text when I know where we will be. Can you send my bike and rest of the stuff?" Jake knew he could trust Alice with their location.

"Yes. Of course." Alice smiled tenderly.

"Be good to her Jake. She has a long life ahead of her. She won't always be content and she won't listen to her heart but she will love you more than anything or anyone in this world now. She has been set free from us." Alice choked back a soft sob as she stepped back from the car giving Jake room to depart.

Jasper slipped his arm around her waist while they watch the tail lights zoom away into the darkness. Both of them feeling a heavy pain hit their hearts as they watched Bella leave their lives once again.

Jake drove straight across the border not stopping only for gas and coffee. When the sun made it's daily appearance in the sky Bella finally began to wake up. He was relieved that she was safe and alive. A few times he worried that the blow she received from Nessie might have caused some internal damage that no one was aware of.

"Where are we?" Bella rubbed the back of her head where a goose size bump sent out sharp pains.

"We are in the United States again. Home of the free, the hamburger and football baby." Jake chuckled, reaching down and giving her hand a quick squeeze.

"Oh. What happened?" Bella squinted her eyes as the bright rays of light made her head hurt worse as she tried to focus on the scenery they were passing.

"Nessie hit you. Well, she shoved you across the room." Jake's happy voice faltered as he looked at her.

Bella's face paled as she saw the anger in his eyes.

"You didn't...kill...harm..." Bella couldn't finish the sentence that was rolling frantically in her head.

"Of course not but I did phase. If she had gone after you again I would have killed her." Jake answered earnestly.

"Jake! She was just upset. She wouldn't have killed me. Edward wouldn't have let her." Bella saw the way he had flinched when he mentioned Edward's name.

"I know you can protect me but I also know that Edward wouldn't have let Nessie harm me. He is aware of your need to protect me." Bella hoped he better understood what she was trying to imply earlier.

"He nearly killed you Bella. He almost made you one of them against your will." Jake's teeth ground together as he recalled the night before and how close he had come to losing her after all to the blood sucker.

"He wasn't thinking rationally Jake. He ….lost and you won." Bella patted his hand.

"It's not about winning and losing Bella. He ….never mind." Jake shook his head trying to shove all the negative feelings out of his head. It was over now. They were both safe and had all their limbs. He was going to focus on the positive points of their situation.

"I love you Jake." Bella burst out.

"I love you too baby."

"So where are you taking me? Where will Jake and Bells start their new life?"

"Anywhere you want to go Bells. I'm open to suggestions."

"I know Forks is off the list." Bella frowned.

"Yes, I'm afraid that isn't a place we can go just yet. Maybe someday." Jake felt her pain. He too, would have loved more than anything to go back to a safe and familiar place. Sadly, Forks couldn't be their home yet but he was going to try and work it out so that maybe, just maybe one day they could return.

"I guess the question is do we want to be somewhere close to where we want to be or do we want to go somewhere completely new." Bella wondered out loud.

"As long as you are with me I don't care if we head to Mexico. I think Alice gave us some money so cost isn't going to be a problem right away." Jake chuckled as Bella turned in her seat to pull out a black duffel bag that was squashed behind Jake's seat. Putting it her lap she unzipped it and started laughing merrily as she explored the contents.

"I think Alice had a vision about this day." Bella laughed.

"Oh. Why do you say that?" Jake asked curiously.

"Well, you were right we have plenty of money and I also see a few bathing suits in this bag that tells me we are going somewhere sunny and warm for a change." Bella replied.

"Ahhh! I hate to admit it but sunlight and beaches do sound good right now." Jake chuckled.

"Then let's go to Florida or California?" Bella suggested.

Jake gave her a sharp look.

"Florida is close to your mother Bella." Jake reminded her.

"Oh yeah." Bella's smiled faltered.

"California it is." Jake watched the signs informing him which way was south and which route would take them directly to California.

"Let's go to Disney." Bella's eyes brighten up as she considered all the possibilities that lied ahead for them. Sure, the life she would have loved to go back to wasn't available but that didn't mean they didn't have other better choices to look forward too.

"Okay Disney it is just don't dare ask me to take pictures with those damn hats with ears on them." Jake flashed her a knowing grin as they rode off in the direction of sunny days and carefree nights. Their life was going to be okay. The two of them had gone through enough crap in one lifetime. They both felt they deserved time to recoup and regain their strength before they were forced to face their past decisions and their future choices.

********************************************************************************************************************End of Part One:

Hope you enjoyed the first half of my version of how I thought that Breaking Dawn should have happened for us "wolf girls." Our happy couple won't be danger free for long. Hope you continued to read the story and a big THANK YOU to those of you who took the chance to read it despite the Nessie/Jake parts in the story. xoxoxo August

And a big shout out to Jessipooks, Mist, Britt (made the video) and Dani for helping me along the journey. You guys inspired me, supported me and assisted me even when I thought I was wasting my time trying to write the story I envisioned in my mind. Love ya girls. xoxo


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